How The Mighty Have Fallen
by Anarchist278
Summary: Tim sets Nathan a challenge. Can he get Haley James to fall for him. Its a Naley.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer** **I don't own the main characters. The only ones I own are the ones you've never heard of because they are figments of my imagination. Wouldn't mind owning James Lafferty though. Naturally I don't own the show either because if I did I can guarantee you that some things would be different.**

**Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

**I also want to apologise because you will find the first few chapters very short but I can promise they do get longer as the story progresses.**

**How the mighty have fallen!**

**Chap One**

Nathan Scott was King at Tree Hill High and he knew it. Not only was he the star player and captain of the unbeaten basketball team but also he had the wealth and good looks to ensure he was never short of a date or the admiration and envy of the other students. He relished his position at the top of the Tree Hill High Elite and his arrogance was legendary throughout the school. There was nothing in his own opinion that he could not do and very few things he would not do to get what he wanted and heaven help anyone who stood in his way. Nathan carried this attitude into all aspects of his life and his interactions with the female student population were no exception.

You see Nathan Scott was of the mistaken belief that no girl could ever resist him if he decided he wanted her. Now perhaps this belief was justified given after all that very few had ever put up much of a fight once Nathan had set his sights on them. However it was this belief that would ultimately bring about his downfall, though few would have predicted that a rather studious young girl by the name of Haley James would be the one to bring the King to his knees.

"You slept with Beth Jones? Man is there any girl in this school you can't get?" Tim moaned disappointed that Nathan had once again succeeded where he himself had failed. He had been lusting after Beth for months but had found that she simply was not interested in a "school boy" such as himself.

"Why are you even surprised?" Nate asked with a disinterested shrug "I said I'd nail her and I did. I guess her policy of only sleeping with college guys was forgotten once I turned on the infamous Scott charm," he boasted smirking at Tim and the rest of his groupies.

Leaning over to speak in a lowered voice that only Tim could hear he asked "So who's going to be my next victim and this time Tim can you at least try to make it slightly challenging. Its no fun when they just fall at my feet".

"I'll let you know at the end of the day man. Right now I've gotta split Jenny Connors has just come in which means its time to unleash some Tim Magic," and with that Tim left heading in the direction of a pretty brunette junior.

Nathan laughed shaking his head "Tim Magic! Yeah right".

Nathan scanned the bustling cafeteria with a practiced eye trying to decide who should be the next lucky recipient of his company. _After all it was only fair that he shared himself around he wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the pleasure of his company. _He sighed _sometimes it could be such hard work being this popular._

**A.N Hey everyone well this is it my first attempt at writing a fan fic. Please review and tell me what you think. Good, bad or average I'd rather hear the truth.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chap 2**

The game had been going on for almost two months now but Tim had yet to win a round. The game or **challenge** as Tim liked to refer to it was simple, Tim would choose some seemingly unattainable girl and set Nate the task of landing her. Thus far though none had proved a challenge and Tim was getting increasingly desperate to prove that somewhere out there was a girl who could resist Nathan Scott.

As he walked down the crowded corridor Tim ran a discerning eye over the varied females wondering if any of them possessed the strength to say no to Nathan Scott. Most of them were immediately dismissed as possibilities because he knew that all it would take would be one smile in their direction from Nathan and they would probably melt into a puddle at his feet. He felt his mood darken as he contemplated yet another defeat at the hands of his best friend. Then he saw the one thing that was guaranteed to cheer him up. Lucas Scott (AKA Pukass) was heading towards his locker, moving quickly Tim positioned himself nearby intent on witnessing the results of his and Nate's latest bout of mischief.

Tim watched as Lucas approached, a puzzled look crossing his face as he noticed his locker door was slightly ajar. Pulling the door open warily, Lucas wrinkled his nose in disgust as the smell overpowered him.

"Fuck" he muttered angrily under his breath glancing up and down the corridor to see if anyone had noticed his predicament. He failed to notice Tim standing behind him a smug grin plastered across his face.

"Hey Lucas" a cheerful voice greeted him, "how was….." Haley trailed off uncertainly as she caught a glimpse of the contents of his locker. "What on earth happened" she exclaimed her voice edged with disgust, "oh that smell is revolting" she complained covering her nose and mouth with one hand while placing her other hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

Lucas grimaced seemingly unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of his books covered in dog shit.

"Yeah well I'm guessing this is a present from my darling baby brother" the sarcasm in his voice obvious even to Tim who was not exactly renowned for his brains.

Haley visibly stiffened at the mention of Lucas' brother, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Of course" Haley fumed "this is just the sort of behaviour I would expect from that Jackass. I honestly don't know what anyone sees in that guy. As far as I can tell I don't think Nathan Scott has a single redeeming feature about him."

As Haley continued to rant Tim broke out into a huge grin. _This is fucking perfect_ he thought to himself.

Haley suddenly glanced at her watch "Oh Lucas I'm sorry but I have to run, I've got a tutoring session in exactly two minutes. I'll talk to you later though ok and we'll figure out some way to destroy Nathan together" she promised as she grabbed him in a quick hug before disappearing down the hall.

As Lucas threw another appalled look at his locker, Tim felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder,

"What did I miss" Nathan's voice hissed excitedly, "did we make poor little Lukey cry".

"Nah Man" Tim replied "but somehow I don't think we'll be on his Christmas card list."

Nathan smirked he was certain that Lucas wouldn't last much longer on the team, there was no way he could continue to put up with the hazing that got dished out regularly and Nathan had no intention of stopping until he accomplished his objective and Lucas quit basketball.

"Now onto more important matters" said Tim "I've decided who your next challenge will be."

"Oh yeah" Nate responded and "who's the lucky girl going to be" his smirk once again coming into play as he pictured Tim's face when he announced his next victory.

"Haley James" Tim replied a smirk of his own forming as he replayed her earlier outburst in his head.

Nathan just stared at him blankly "**Who**"


	3. Chapter Three

**Chap 3**

Nathan groaned as he was awoken from a deep sleep by his alarm the next morning. Reaching out an arm he hit the button on the clock silencing the continuous beeping and lay back on his bed, contemplating the possibility of blowing off school and spending the day at home. The thought didn't last long as he thought of what Whitey's reaction would be if he were to miss practice. He shuddered at the thought and even worse would be his dad's response if he found out. Not that Dan would care about missed classes but missed basketball practice was another matter entirely.

This was one of those rare times where Nathan knew that he really shouldn't take the chance of pissing Whitey off. The coach had been on his back lately and had even threatened to leave him on the bench for an entire game if he didn't change his attitude. To be honest though Nathan didn't really buy it, after all he was the best player the Ravens had and that was not about to change even if Whitey seemed to believe that the sun shone out of Lucas' ass these days. His face scrunched up in contempt as he thought of his older brother. It seemed everyone thought he was so perfect. He'd even heard rumours that Pukass had a girlfriend though he couldn't imagine what sort of girl would be desperate enough to hang around that asshole.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell phone beeping indicating that he had a new message. He shook his head in disbelief as he read the message informing him that he had five new voicemails. _I must have been more tired than I thought to sleep through that many calls. _Nathan held the phone up to his ear listening intently as the first message began to play.

"Hi Nathan, its Beth. Just thought I'd give you a call and see how you are. I've been waiting for you to call me but maybe you lost my number anyway I guess you'll have it again now." Nathan started to tune out as she blathered on about nothing. "Anyway I'm sure you've just been busy with basketball and everything so I'll speak to you soon. Give me a call when you get the message. I miss you".

All five messages were from Beth and all five were basically the same except she had gotten progressively whinier with each call until by the last one she was practically begging him to call her. "Like there's any way that's going to happen" he smirked to himself "been there, done that. Now its time for something or rather **someone** new."

His face brightened as he remembered Tim's latest challenge. Tim had pointed her out to Nate as they had walked past the tutoring centre last night. After seeing her Nathan's confidence had actually increased if that was possible. This girl Haley didn't look like she would present a problem to Nathan. Although admittedly she was not the type of girl he would usually look twice at, he couldn't help but think that she would be one of his easiest challenges yet. He had immediately assessed her and put her into the bookwork category. _Poor Girl probably spends all her time in the library and has never been on a date and come to think of it I'm almost certain I've never seen her at one of our parties _which to Nathan was a fate worse than death. _One blast of the Scott charm and she'll be begging me to take her out. Yes today's the day Miss James' life is going to change. Hopefully she'll at least last out the day before succumbing to my charms to provide me with some entertainment._ Glancing at the clock he realised he was already running late and quickly headed to the shower whistling to himself as he went.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chap 4**

Haley sat in English class desperately scribbling notes as the teacher explained the next assignment. Haley never liked to feel that she was anything less than fully prepared in any aspect of her life and that went double when it came to her school work. She knew that most people at the school viewed her as being a goody goody and a bookworm and for the most part she convinced herself that she didn't care. As long as her friends knew the real her what did it matter what the rest of the school thought. But sometimes she wished she had the nerve to make her real self known to others and show them that she could be just as much fun as anyone. She just didn't feel the need to get wasted every weekend to prove it.

The teacher continued to ramble on as he had for the first 20 minutes of class and most of the students zoned out, all except Haley of course. After another five minutes though even Haley started to get bored. She stopped taking notes, certain that she understood the latest homework, and allowed her mind to wander as she looked out the window at the bright sunny sky. Thank goodness it was such a nice day with Lucas home sick she had had to walk to school instead of getting a ride with him, as she would normally do._ It better stay nice for my walk home_ she thought to herself.

The sound of the classroom door banging open interrupted her from her thoughts. Her attention shifting to the door where Nathan Scott stood waiting till he had everyone's attention before he swaggered into the room. As he passed by her desk he paused momentarily locking eyes with her and smirking before pulling out a chair at the desk next to hers and sitting down. _What on earth was that about _Haley wondered _I'd be surprised if Nathan even knows that I exist. Which suits me just fine since I'm one of the few girls in this school who has no inclination to be another notch on his bedpost. I don't know why I'm even wasting my time thinking about that arrogant asshole. _With that Haley focused her attention back onto the teacher and put all thoughts of Nathan Scott out of her mind.

Unfortunately for Haley it was not going to be that easy to do as Nathan had managed to attract everyone's including Mr Andrews' attention to his rather tardy arrival to class.

"Mr Scott" thundered Mr Andrews "you do realise that this class started half an hour ago don't you?"

"Well of course Sir, you know they taught us to tell the time back in second grade" Nathan answered breezily his lack of interest in what the teacher was saying apparent to everyone in the room.

He turned to look at his classmates soaking in their admiration for the way he had handled the teacher.

"Well" the wind taken out of Mr Andrews' sails by Nathan's refusal to be intimidated by him "just make sure it doesn't happen again" he finished off rather lamely.

Nathan looked across at Haley expecting to see her looking at him with the same hero worship he was accustomed to from the rest of his peers, but instead she gave him a look of cold disinterest before turning away. _Hmmm _Nathan thought _looks like it might take something more to impress this girl_. _It may be necessary to try a different method._ He spent the rest of the class planning what he would do when he won because failure was not a possibility as far as Nathan was concerned. _There was no way a shy little bookworm like Miss James was going to get the better of him_.

The rest of the class passed without event for Haley and when the bell rang she hurried off to her locker to get her books for History. Rummaging through her locker she tried to find her textbook on the Second World War. "Damn it I know its in here somewhere" she sighed frustrated. Finally "Aha" she said triumphantly emerging with the book, she stepped back colliding with a warm hard body. Hot breath met her neck and she shivered involuntarily as a decidedly male voice sounded in her ear

"Hi Beautiful".

Whipping her head around her brown eyes collided with a pair of intensely blue ones.  
"N….n….nathan" mentally she cursed herself for the nervous quaver in her voice as she saw him smirk at her obvious discomfort.

Sucking in a deep breath she said more forcefully "What do you want?"

She tried to ignore the tingles of awareness shooting through her body as he towered over her less than threee inches separating her body from his. Feeling at a disadvantage she turned her whole body to face him her hip brushing against his groin as she did so.

He smirked once more before bending down to speak directly into her ear "thought you might be able to do something for me" his gravely voice sending electricity sparking through her body.

He allowed his lips to graze against her ear before pulling back slightly to watch for her reaction. Haley inhaled sharply desperately trying to regain her composure, as she searched her mind for something, anything to think about other than the effect Nathan was having on her body. Wrenching her gaze away from him she saw Tim and Jake watching them from a few metres away. _Tim was a jerk_ _most of the time but from what Lucas had told her Jake was a pretty cool guy. Oh my God LUCAS _she screamed inwardly _how could I forget about him and everything this asshole has put him through recently. _

Nathan stood watching the multitude of emotions playing across her face starting out with lust which was quickly replaced by panic, then confusion as she had looked around the mostly deserted hallway, and now looking at her he could see a definite coldness settling over her features. Remembering his earlier words she snapped "what makes you think I would do anything for you?"

Nathan was shocked at her sudden change in demeanour and was momentarily speechless. "Well" she said tapping her foot impatiently.

"I uh just wondered if I could get the homework assignment from you for English" he stammered.

"Look can we do this later I have to get to class" and with that she turned slamming her locker shut before pushing past him and hurrying down the hall.

Nathan just stared after her before becoming aware of Tim's laughter echoing in the empty corridor as he enjoyed one of Nathan's rare failures. Nate glared at him before turning on his heel and heading for his own class. As Haley rushed away she desperately fought the urge to turn and see if Nate was still watching her. _What is wrong with me? Why would I let Nathan Scott of all people effect me like this? Damn teenage hormones! That must be what made me react that way to him. I'm sure of it. Any guy could have had that effect on me. Well not just any guy _she quickly ammended to herself _but it certainly wasn't just Nathan. _Haley continued to use these arguments with herself all through history class and by the time the bell went had managed to convince herself that she was simply hormonal and it would pass. Nathan meanwhile was consumed with thoughts of his own. _There was no way he was going to let someone like Haley James get the better of him. This was a challenge that he was determined to win._


	5. Chapter Five

**Chap 5**

The rest of the day passed without incident for Haley. When the last bell went she headed to the tutoring centre to wait for her student. Walking in she threw her bag onto the table and went to the window wanting to let some air into the stuffy room. Opening the latch she pulled unsuccessfully at the window trying to lift it up but it stubbornly refused to budge.

"Come on you stupid piece of shit" she groaned.

"Temper temper" a voice admonished her as a pair of arms came either side of her, trapping her and a pair of calloused hands covered hers on the handles of the window.

"Looks like you need some help" a husky voice said in her ear.

The window resisted only a moment more before sliding easily up. Haley jerked her hands out abruptly from under his basketball-roughened hands and whirled around to glare at Nathan.

"Do you make a habit of sneaking up behind people? " she snarled at him.

"What can I say sometimes I like to be behind" he smirked "although face to face can be good too, it definitely has its advantages" he said looking down at the scant space separating their bodies. His hands remained on the window frame leaving her effectively pinned between his body and the window.

"I assume you're here for that homework assignment" she bit out angrily.

"Uh yeah the homework" he leered down at her showing no signs of removing his arms.

"Well its in my bag so if you'll kindly move I'll be only too happy to get it for you so you can leave." He took a small step back and she turned her body ready to move but his arm remained where it was. It could only have been a few more seconds but to Haley felt like a lifetime. He pulled his hand back, lightly grazing against Haley's breast as he did so. It took all her willpower not to shiver at the unexpected and surely accidental contact. _Not even Nathan would be that bold _she told herself.

She quickly made her way to the other side of the room pulling the piece of paper from her bag and thrusting it in his direction.

"Here now you should never need to come near me again."

"Now, now Haley if you keep that up I'm going to start thinking you don't like me and we both know that isn't true."

Haley made a face and blurted out sarcastically "Gee whatever gave you that idea. Was it my complete disgust at being in the same room as you or could it be the revulsion I feel every time you touch me?"

"Revulsion" Nathan scoffed "I think we both know that its not revulsion you feel. If for example I was to do this," he said moving to stand behind her his fingers lightly stroking up her arm. Haley could feel his breath on her neck and the heat emanating from his body seemed to be almost searing her, as he stood so close behind, his fingers still resting on her arm.

Haley had to fight the urge to lean her body back into his as his hand moved to brush her hair back behind her shoulder, his knuckles grazing against her collar bone. _What am I doing?_ she asked herself but she was powerless to stop him. _Damn hormones. _

Haley sighed all the tension leaving her body as she gave up the fight and leaned back into him. She felt his head come closer to hers as his lips once again came tantalisingly close to her ear. She waited for him to speak but instead was shocked when his lips closed around her earlobe sucking it gently as his teeth grazed the sensitive skin. She moaned in ecstasy as the sensations overtook her body. She was completely under his spell and at that moment could think of no reason to break it. Hearing her soft moan Nathan nearly lost his mind. His hand dropped down to her leg massaging her thigh through the thin denim of her jeans. He imagined those long legs wrapped around his hips as he pounded into her and a husky chuckle escaped his lips.

_Fuck _she thought hearing his laugh _what am I doing? This is Nathan Scott the person who has been single-handedly responsible for making my best friends life a living hell ever since he joined the basketball team and I'm practically drooling all over him just because he shows me the slightest bit of attention. _She jerked away spinning around to face him fury replacing the passion that had been evident on her face just moments before. Nathan stared at her for a moment, stunned wondering what had happened to cause her sudden anger.

"What the hell do you think you were doing" she raged.

"Hales chill" he said stepping towards her once again.

She retreated immediately bringing the table between them. Her anger boiling over at his casual use of the nickname only Lucas and close members of her family used.

"What is your problem?" he snapped his own anger coming to the fore in the face of her blatant rejection. _What was going on here they should be locking the door right now, her legs wrapping around him, the way he had pictured in his mind just minutes ago. _A small smile played across his lips as the image once again danced across his mind.

Seeing the smile Haley scowled "GET OUT" she demanded pointing at the door.

"Haley" he tried once more

"OUT" she practically shouted at him.

"Fine" he growled stalking towards the door but he couldn't resist one last parting shot "perhaps we can test out that revulsion theory again some other time" the door slammed behind him as he left.

Haley sagged into a nearby chair, her energy drained as she tried to comprehend what had just happened and more to the point why for the second time that day she had responded to Nathan that way. She heard the door open again and she groaned inwardly _Oh God what part of get out doesn't he understand?_

"Hi Haley, sorry I'm late" Susie the cheerleader she was supposed to be tutoring chirped happily as she entered the room. "Was that Nathan Scott I just saw leaving? He is so hot! The things I would do to that man if I was given half a chance" she babbled on completely oblivious to Haley's mood.

"Susie" Haley interrupted before she could go any further "do you mind if we take a rain check on the tutoring today? I've got a really bad headache and I think I should go home and get some rest."

"Oh um sure" Susie agreed "I guess that means I can go watch Nathan getting all hot and sweaty out on the basketball court" she continued but Haley was already gone.

"That was a bit weird" Susie said to herself before heading off happily in the direction of the gym.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chap 6**

Haley woke the next morning feeling like she hadn't slept a wink, which if truth were told was fairly accurate. What little sleep she'd had, had been fraught with dreams. Snapshots had flashed through her mind of intense blue eyes and a hard muscled body, followed by flashes of Luke's face and the look of immense pain she was sure would appear if he was ever to find out about her interactions with Nathan. _If only I could control myself around him. _

"What am I talking about of course I can control myself I'm not some horny cheerleader who will jump the first man who shows me the slightest bit of attention."

_Yesterday was nothing more than a momentary lapse and there is no chance that it will ever be repeated _she told herself fiercely.

The ringing of her cell phone distracted her from her thoughts and she smiled happily as she saw Lucas' name displayed on the caller ID.

"Hey handsome" she greeted him cheerfully all thoughts of Nathan temporarily banished from her mind.

"Hi Hales" Lucas' voice croaked in response.

"Oh Lucas you sound terrible" Haley gushed; Lucas couldn't help but smile at her obvious concern.

"I'll be fine" he reassured her "but I think I'm going to need at least one more day in bed before I can possibly come back to school."

"Oh" Haley said trying to cover up her disappointment. _Haley what's wrong with you _she silently berated herself_ your best friend is sick in bed and your only concern is for yourself. You just want him to come back to school so he can act as a buffer between you and Nathan. What sort of friend are you?_ "Luke I really better get going if I'm going to make it to school on time but I'll stop by after my shift at the café to see how you are" she promised.

"Uh no Hales", Lucas blurted out as soon as she stopped speaking "um what I mean is I don't want you to catch anything."

"Ok" Haley replied her confusion evident in her tone, "well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then".

"Yeah definitely" Lucas responded before hanging up the phone.

Haley stared quizzically at her phone for a moment as if waiting for it to explain Lucas' strange behaviour. Naturally no explanation was forthcoming and sighing she shoved her phone into her bag before racing around the room gathering the necessary belongings for a day at school. She had a long walk ahead of her.

"Do you think she bought it?" a sultry voice questioned Lucas from behind. Luke turned towards the bed unable to stop his grin as his gaze travelled up the length of Peyton's bare leg where it rested on top of her blood red silk sheets.

"Yeah she bought it" Lucas said simply "at least for now. But sooner or later I am going to have to tell her about us. Two months is a long time to have kept a secret like this from my best friend."

"Yes well" Peyton smiled wickedly "why don't we worry about that later. Right now I have other things I'd much rather be doing." Lucas smiled as she pulled him back down onto the bed kissing him passionately.

"Oh for Fucks sake" Nathan swore as he tried unsuccessfully for the fifth time to shove his books into his overflowing locker.

"Damn Nate chill out. Why don't ya?" Tim laughed placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder "you've been in a shitty mood all day. What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing" Nate snapped glaring at Tim "I just didn't sleep very well last night" Nate added mostly truthfully.

The fact was Nathan had slept fine once he had finally gotten to sleep; it was the hours he had spent trying to get to sleep that had driven him to distraction. Nathan knew exactly whose fault that was and as far as he was concerned the blame lay squarely at Haley's feet.

Lying in bed hours after the incident in the tutoring centre he had been unable to get that moan out of his mind and it had nearly driven him crazy. Of course it didn't help that his ego had taken a battering when she rejected him. Rejection was not something that Nathan Scott was accustomed to and he didn't like the feeling one bit. His lack of sleep coupled with Haley's rejection and the fact that he hadn't laid eyes on her all day meant that by the time the last bell rang for the day he was almost ready to explode with anger.

"Come on Nate" Tim said "we better get to practice."

Nathan gave his books one last shove before slamming his locker shut and stalking off towards the gym knowing it was the best place for him to release some of his frustration.

Haley meanwhile was headed to the library figuring she could get a head start on her homework before she needed to leave for her shift at the café. She was feeling quite proud of herself for the way she had successfully managed to avoid Nathan all day. It had been a good day, no Nathan, an A on her latest History assignment and she didn't have any tutoring scheduled. _What more could a girl ask for?_ she thought to herself. For the next 45 minutes she worked solidly on her English assignment before realising it was getting late and hurrying off to change into her uniform so she could leave for Karen's.

Walking to the door she was mortified to see fat raindrops splattering the ground. _Damn it now what was she supposed to do?It wouldn't exactly be a good look to turn up to work half drowned._ As she stood pondering her options a hand grasped her elbow.

"Come on" Nathan's voice sounded beside her "I'll drive you."

From the tone of his voice Haley knew he wasn't offering he was telling her what was going to happen. For a moment she considered arguing, she was not the sort of person to allow others to order her around. But looking at him out of the corner of her eye she saw the rigid lines of his face and knew it would be pointless, besides her only other option at this stage was a long wet walk to the café which did not appeal to her at all.

"Whatever" Haley said coldly she may be going with him but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

Retaining his grip on her elbow he manoeuvred her towards the door. As soon as they stepped outside he broke into a run, his hand leaving her elbow to grab her hand, pulling her along behind him as he crossed the school grounds making his way towards the car park. When they reached his car he dropped her hand and slid into the drivers seat waiting impatiently for her to join him. Haley's hair was dripping and she was amazed at how wet she had gotten in the few minutes it had taken to reach the car. His curt voice cut through the silence enveloping the car "What's your address?" Haley didn't answer immediately as she fought to regain her breath after their run. _I really need to take up a sport_ she thought laughing at her lack of fitness. Nathan was startled by the sound of her laughter, turning to look at her and immediately wishing he hadn't. For the first time since he had known her she had let down the guard on her emotions and was smiling with genuine happiness and he was struck by how different she looked when she wasn't on the defensive.

_She's beautiful _he admitted to himself he had always known that she was attractive but seeing her smile he knew just how beautiful she really was. Haley's laughter died in her throat as she felt his eyes on her _He must think I'm a complete idiot laughing like that with no reason. _But as she met his eyes she didn't see the mockery she had expected, instead she wasn't sure what that look in his eyes was but for once she wasn't uncomfortable in his presence.

Watching the smile leave her face Nathan became aware of the water running down her face, travelling down her neck. He lowered his gaze following the rivulets down and lust darkened his eyes as he took in her white t-shirt now drenched from the rain. Haley saw his gaze move and glanced down at herself trying to see what had garnered his attention. _Damn why does my uniform have to be black and white? _she inwardly cursed as she realised how the cotton of her top was now clinging to her skin. She couldn't help but feel a certain excitement course through her veins as she saw the look in his eyes. _Oh why does he have to look so good wet?_ she thought noticing the way his hair stuck to his forehead.Nathan moved slightly towards her and she moved too meeting him halfway. His lips crashed onto hers the kiss almost punishing before he changed the tempo and his lips became almost coaxing begging for access. Haley couldn't deny him any longer and she parted her lips allowing his tongue to slide into her mouth exploring every crevice before meeting her own in a carnal battle for dominance. As her tongue moved against his he couldn't suppress the groan that erupted from his mouth and Haley's own excitement grew at the sound emitting from him. He cupped her head pulling her even closer. A sudden tapping on the window broke the spell that had overtaken them and Nathan pulled back not bothering to hide his frustration at the interruption.

Winding down the window he glared at Tim's smiling face  
"Hey Nate just wanted to know if you want to go grab a bite to eat? How come the windows are all fogged up?"

Haley was blocked from Tim's view by Nathan's large frame.

"Not now" Nathan grated at his best friend.

"Alright Gees I was just asking" Tim replied "Ok well I guess I'll catch you later."

Nathan turned back to Haley but Tim's mention of food had reminded her of where she was supposed to be.

"Nathan I really have to get to work" she pleaded still trying to process how she felt about what had just happened. Nathan could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes and knew it would take very little effort on his part to convince her to continue what they had started but he also knew if he pushed her too hard she was likely to retreat. The only way that this was going to work was if she came to him willingly.

"Ok" he conceded grudgingly"where to?"

Haley directed him to the café the ride completed in silence as they were each lost in their own thoughts. As soon as he pulled into the parking lot in front of the café she moved towards the door eager to escape so she could try to get her thoughts together. She couldn't think with him sitting so close to her. His hand grasped her wrist preventing her escape

"what time do you finish? I'll pick you up."

"That's ok Nathan. I'm sure the rain will have stopped by then"

"I'll pick you up" he repeated his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I'll be finished by eight" Haley answered practically jumping out of the car as soon as he released her arm.

"I'll be here," he said before driving off. Haley walked into the café having no idea how she was possibly going to be able to concentrate on her work after that.


	7. Chapter Seven

**A.N Well first things first I want to say a big thankyou to those who have reviewed and offered suggestions. Have some ideas of how they can be incorporated into the story but will have to wait and see if they work out. Sorry this chapter is so short but felt I needed a chapter just to explain where Haley's head is at at this point. Will hopefully have a chance to update again today. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. Ange x.**

**Chap 7**

Haley's four-hour shift seemed to have gone by in a blur. She had been on autopilot ever since she had come through the door. Luckily the café had been very busy which had made it impossible for her to think too much about what had happened in Nathan's car just a few short hours ago. It also meant that Karen herself had been far too busy to notice that her normally super efficient waitress had been anything but efficient that night.

Looking at the clock, Haley heaved a sigh of relief, only 20 minutes to go and she would be finished her shift. She couldn't suppress the flutter of excitement that shot through her at the thought of Nathan who would be arriving shortly to collect her. _Who would have ever thought that Nathan Scott would take an interest in me?_ she mused to herself.

That flutter of excitement however was not alone, there was also a certain amount of trepidation and uncertainty as she continued to question why she was having these feelings for Nathan. She was no longer simply blaming her reactions to him on hormones she knew there was definitely something more going on. But at the same time it was obvious that this was hardly some deep and meaningful relationship, at least not yet. It could hardly be when they had barely spoken without arguing.

_Who am I kidding?_ she asked herself _he probably won't even turn up. So I have nothing to worry about because whatever has been causing me to feel like this is over. After all this is Nathan Scott were talking about he's probably already forgotten about me. Its not like I'm a part of the in crowd that he is so fond of._

Breaking out of her daze she focused her attention on the customer standing in front of her waiting to pay "Sorry, can I help you?"

"About time" the man grumbled impatiently "I've only been standing here for the last five minutes while you've been staring off into space".

Looking up Haley could see Karen watching them with a questioning look obviously sensing an unhappy customer. Haley quickly took his money and counted out his change carefully not wanting to give him any further reason to complain. She watched him leave hoping he wouldn't stop to complain to Karen on his way out and was relieved to see him walk out without further incident.

Her attention was diverted almost immediately by the arrival of a black SUV pulling up in front of the café. Haley could see Nathan behind the steering wheel and for a moment all the other emotions she had been experiencing were swallowed up by blind panic. _Oh my God, he actually came back. Now what am I going to do?_ Karen's voice came across the café

"Haley honey its time to knock off. Have you got money for the bus in case is starts raining again? I don't want you to get caught in it"

"Don't worry Karen I've got a ride."

"Oh good honey, well say hi to that son of mine for me. I've hardly seen him the last couple of days."

"Aha ok bye Karen" Haley called over her shoulder. It wouldn't be till much later that Haley would stop to wonder why Karen had thought Lucas would come to collect her when he was at home sick in bed. But for the moment Haley was far too preoccupied with thoughts of a certain occupant of a black SUV to give much thought to what Karen was saying. If only she had listened some of the drama that was about to enter Haley's life could possibly have been avoided. 


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer** **As previously stated I don't own any of the One Tree Hill Characters nor any rights to movies or actors mentioned in this chapter. I'm just a poor child care worker I own nothing really.**

**Chap Eight**

Grabbing her bag from behind the counter Haley walked uncertainly towards the door. She could feel Nathan's eyes on her as she exited the building and for a moment she wanted to run. Forcing herself to look up she met his eyes and found she was completely unable to break her gaze away from the intensity blazing out at her. _Should I run?_ Shaking her head she wondered where that thought had come from.

She continued towards the car and as she arrived he leaned across and opened the door for her. She climbed in and without a word Nathan started the engine and drove in the opposite direction of Haley's house.

"Hi" she greeted him in a small voice wondering why on earth she had gotten into the car with someone who didn't even seem to want to speak to her.

He glanced at her briefly "Hi" he responded in a tight voice before turning his attention back to the road.

"Mind if I ask where you are taking me" she tried once more to get a conversation started wanting desperately to break the silence that surrounded them if only to appease her own frazzled nerves.

"You'll see," he answered allowing a small grin in her direction. Haley felt herself relax though she didn't really know why. He still hadn't really told her anything and the car was still far too quiet for her liking but for some reason seeing that smile had been enough to calm her nerves and soothe her fears at least for the moment.

But Haley wouldn't be Haley if she didn't start to overanalyse things and worry. It was a big part of who she was and although it was not necessarily something she was proud of she freely admitted to being a worrier. _What do I really know about this guy? Just because he goes to the same school and is popular doesn't mean that he's not some crazed, psycho killer. For all I know that smile that I was so reassured by was just there because he was thinking about where he was going to dump my dead body. Stupid Haley, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid._

Haley was too caught up in her self-admonishment to notice that the car had stopped and Nathan had turned in his seat to watch her.

"Haley, we're here," he said wondering what on earth she was thinking about that had got her so engrossed. _Maybe she's thinking about that kiss earlier and about how we can continue it tonight. _He smiled again at this thought and Haley finally becoming aware that they had stopped turned saw the smile and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Haley relax this is my parents beach house. I thought we could hang out for a while before you have to get home," he told her.

Haley was snapped out of her reverie by his words "Oh right yeah sounds good" she said unconvincingly. _Surely he wouldn't murder me at his parent's house after all how would he explain all the blood. From what I've seen Nathan doesn't exactly seem the domestic type so I doubt he would be able to do a good enough job of cleaning it up. _Haley finally became aware of how ridiculous her thoughts were becoming and silently berated herself _I am definitely losing it._

"Come on let's go inside," he suggested.

"Umm sure ok" Haley agreed still a little apprehensive about the situation she had got herself into.

Unlocking the front door Nathan stood back to allow her to precede him into the house. Walking past him her mind was distracted from its thoughts of impending insanity by the beautiful décor of the house she had entered. _Ok I guess now I know that the rumours about how rich his family are were true. This house is unbelievable.  
_

Nathan moved closer placing his hand in the centre of her back to guide her further into the house. At his touch thoughts of the house were forgotten as Haley immediately started to relive what had happened in the tutoring centre when he had come up behind her then. That too had begun with a simple almost innocent touch and look how that had progressed.

Haley by now had become far too conscious of his hand on her back to really take note of her surrounds so it was with surprise that she realised they had entered a large lounge room. There was a huge home entertainment centre taking pride of place in the centre of the room and a large black leather couch positioned in front of it.

"Thought we could watch a movie" Nathan suggested. "Do you want to choose one?" Haley looked at him blankly the last thing on her mind was movies

"No that's ok you choose" she responded.

Settling onto the couch she watched him as he perused the stacks of DVD's before apparently deciding on one and inserting it into the machine. Picking up the remote he moved to the couch sitting next to Haley and automatically draping an arm around her shoulders. Haley sat with her eyes glued to the screen completely unsure of what she should do or what Nathan expected from her. Despite her apparent rapt attention to the screen if someone were to later ask her what film they had watched she would not have had the slightest clue. She was far too focused on the warm body beside her.

Nathan glanced at her from the corner of his eye _Wow I really didn't expect her to be so interested in James Bond. Wait she's probably got a crush on Pierce Brosnan. Oh great now she's going to be sitting here wishing that good old Pierce was here instead of me. Great Nathan just great_ he berated himself.

Becoming accustomed to the weight of Nathan's arm around her shoulders Haley was able to momentarily focus her attention onto the character on screen. _Oh gross who's he _she wondered _Oh wait isn't his name Pierce something or other.  
_

Nathan decided he'd better do something fast to distract her attention away from the screen. Leaning over he planted a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. Haley turned to look at him a little shocked at his sudden play for attention. Just when she had been starting to think that maybe they could actually be together for more than 10 minutes without him starting anything he had made his move. As soon as she was facing him Nathan immediately took possession of her lips gently kissing her.

Haley remained passive under his kiss determined that for once she would remain in control of herself around him. _See this isn't so hard _she told herself. _Damn it _Nathan said to himself _I must be losing my touch. Well lets see how she reacts if I turn up the heat a bit._ Leaving her lips his mouth travelled to her neck sucking and biting at the tender skin there. Hearing her gasp at the feel of his teeth he immediately caressed the injured spot on her neck with his tongue. She gasped once again but this time he knew that there was no pain involved this was all pleasure.

Moving back to her lips he kissed her again noticing the difference in her kiss now that he had got her excited. He kissed her mouth hard demanding and receiving access to its inner depths. Her tongue caressing his as he plundered every crevice within. Feeling his body pressing into her she laid back onto the couch and was delighted in the feel of him following her down.

His forehead rested against hers as they both fought to regain their breath. Repositioning himself he reached down and pulled her legs up onto the couch before moving himself back on top of her so that it seemed every part of her body not enveloped in the soft leather of the couch was pressed against him. Leaning back into her he once again began to kiss her this time allowing her to choose the tempo. At first she was timid only occasionally darting her tongue into his mouth before retreating. What she didn't realise was how much Nathan was enjoying her teasing caresses and just how much she was turning him on.

He slid a hand up the side of her shirt before bringing it back down to creep under the white cotton. Running his fingers over her rib cage he felt her body squirm with excitement. His hand strayed higher brushing feather light strokes across the thin material of her bra before catching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger tweaking it gently.

Haley had never before felt sensations like those that Nathan was eliciting in her now, in fact she would never have dreamed that this sort of pleasure was even possible. Sure she'd read the magazines and heard the talk from the other girls who had fooled around with their boyfriends but Haley had always assumed that they were exaggerating. She now realised how wrong she had been.

Bringing her hands around to his back she slid them up under his shirt tracing the muscles in his back. Lifting up slightly he grabbed the hem of her shirt lifting it over her head and discarding it onto the floor. Lowering his head to her breast he began to tease her nipple with his tongue, smiling to himself as he saw it begin to strain against the lace of her bra.

A whole new set of sensations were unleashed in Haley as he moved to the other breast to give it the same treatment as its mate. Without realising she dug her nails into his back and felt him jerk slightly with pain. She ran her fingers over the smooth skin feeling the indentations she had left.

"I'm sorry" she choked out feeling slightly embarrassed at the ardour that she had shown.

"It's ok" Nathan laughed gently at her stricken look.

"Maybe we should stop" Haley stammered.

"Haley I don't want to stop" Nathan assured her.

"Nah I think maybe we should. I don't want to get too carried away and do something I'm not ready for."

Nathan looked at her incredulously trying to gauge whether or not she was truly serious about wanting to stop just when in his opinion things were starting to get good.

Seeing the look in her eyes he could tell that she wasn't joking. _Damn _he thought _next time I get her here I don't care if she sticks burning pokers into my sides I am not going to give her a chance to stop and think. Why did I have to react to her nails in my back? I have got to work on my pain threshold.  
_

Looking at Nathan it was clear to Haley that he was confused about their reasons for stopping and by the looks of it was quite possibly formulating some sort of plan to get her to continue. She knew she had to move now or he would tempt her into continuing, she lightly pushed at his chest and he moved off of her.

Looking around for her t-shirt she noticed that the movie had finished and realising how late it must be getting she turned back to Nathan and asked him to drive her home. Finding her shirt she stood up slipping it over her head and for the first time noticed the chill that had come into the air. Now that she no longer had Nathan's body heat to keep her warm she was definitely cold. Nathan looked down at the bare skin of her arms and saw the goose bumps that had appeared.

"Hang on" he said, "I'll be right back". Disappearing down the hall he reappeared moments later holding a sweatshirt for her to wear. "Here this should keep you warm" he offered it to her. Looking at him gratefully she slipped it over her head.

"Ok well if you're ready we better get going" Nathan said though she could see the hope in his eyes that maybe she would decide to stay and finish what they had started. Although there was no doubt that she was tempted she stayed firm and walked towards the door. Nathan sighed with regret and followed her out the door.

As she got ready for bed a little while after Nathan had dropped her off. She looked down at her body clad only in his sweatshirt and sighed _Oh girl you have got it bad for him. _But at this stage she truly didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

**A.N Yay ended up with an afternoon off work so was able to update again. This chapter was quite a bit longer than the last one so hope that made up for it. No offense to anyone who does actually find Pierce Brosnan attractive just couldn't think of anyone else to use for that part of the story. Should be another update in the next couple of days.  
**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Nathan woke the next morning in a very good mood. Although things had ended a little sooner than he had expected the night before he was confident that it was only a matter of time till he and Haley would continue what they had started at the beach house. He was no longer thinking about the challenge, what he had found with Haley was something so much more then he could ever have imagined. Smiling he looked at the clock and headed to the shower wanting to give himself plenty of time to get to Haley's house to take her to school. Although they hadn't discussed it he assumed that she would be waiting for him to drive her.

Haley was also in a very good mood that morning. She dressed for school with extra care to make sure that she looked good for Nathan. She could hardly wait to see him again. Humming to herself she was startled by the sound of the doorbell. With a welcoming smile she went to the door to greet him only to find reality waiting for her in the shape of her best friend Lucas.

"Morning Hales, are you ready to go?" he greeted her.

Haley stood for a moment just staring in shock "Lucas umm hi. Yeah I'm ready let me just grab my bag."

Lucas walked back to his truck to wait for her.

_Lucas is back. What am I going to do? Thank God Nathan didn't come to pick me up. Although I guess it was pretty unlikely that he would. He never said that he was going to. _Picking up her bag she climbed into the truck neither of them noticing the black SUV that had turned into her street and was now following them down the road.

_That looked like Lucas' truck but it couldn't have been. What would he be doing at Haley's _Nathan asked himself as he drove towards the school keeping the truck with Haley inside in sight. Pulling into the parking lot he sat there dumbfounded as he watched Haley and Lucas get out, Lucas' arm around Haley's shoulders as they walked. _What the FUCK is going on here? _

Haley walked into the hall keeping her eyes peeled for Nathan but so far there was no sign of him. There was an air of discomfort between her and Lucas but she assumed it was all coming from her. _After all I'm the one with the secret. _Resolving to try harder with Lucas she turned to him with a grin.

"So I bet you're glad to be back," she joked. Lucas lost in his own thoughts took a moment to comprehend what Haley had said

"Oh yeah I'm just thrilled" he answered his sarcasm evident. "The only thing that could make this any better would be to see my baby brother" he responded cynically.

It was at that moment Haley knew that there was no way she would be able to explain to Lucas what had been happening with her and Nathan. Any hopes that she could make him understand were obliterated in an instant.

Seeing Peyton at the other end of the hall Lucas turned to Haley "Hales I gotta go. I need to see some of my teachers about the work I've missed. I'll see you later."

"Ok Luke talk to you later" she responded mechanically madly trying to work out in her own mind what she should do about the Nathan situation. Luke walked away _Man I hate keeping secrets from her.  
_

"Why were you with Pukass" Nathan's voice grated in her ear.

Looking up at him Haley could see the anger clearly in his eyes but she also thought that there was a trace of hurt but it was gone before she could be sure. "**Lucas**" she emphasised his name "is my best friend. I thought you knew".

"How the fuck was I supposed to know that? You certainly weren't volunteering the information".

Haley was amazed at his apparent anger "come on Nathan its not like I deliberately kept it from you. I thought you knew," she reiterated.

"Guess that explains Tim's choice" he muttered under his breath. Nathan stormed off down the hall in search of Tim wanting to hear it from him.

Haley having heard Tim's name wondered _what the fuck does Tim have to do with this?  
_

"Hey Nate" Tim cheerily greeted him as he approached menacingly "so how's the latest challenge going?" he asked with a laugh.

"You knew that she was friends with Pukass when you set this whole thing up didn't you?" Nathan's voice was low but his anger was obvious.

Tim appeared a little nervous at the look on his friends face "Umm Yeah I knew" Tim admitted.

"Then do you mind explaining to me "What the FUCK you were thinking" his voice becoming louder with each word.

"Hey man you asked me to make it challenging so that's what I did," Tim pointed out honestly.

Nathan groaned, his anger abating as he realised the truth of Tim's words. _Yeah he had asked for a challenge and that's exactly what he had been given. How on earth was he going to get a chance with Haley now?_ He knew as soon as Lucas found out about the two of them he would do his best to convince her to stay away from him. He was after all her best friend chances were good that she would listen to him.

After the way Nathan had confronted her Haley had been doing some thinking of her own and she had come to the conclusion that if her friendship with Lucas was important to her then she was going to have to stop seeing Nathan. She honestly didn't want to stop but her friendship with Luke meant far too much to her. _Besides what Nathan and I have is just a physical thing_ she tried unsuccessfully to convince herself. _Judging by his reaction to my friendship with Lucas I don't think he's going to want to continue anyway_ she sighed. It seemed whatever she had with Nathan was over before it had even really had a chance to begin.

The rest of the day had dragged on for Haley and she had never been so glad to hear the last bell of the day as she was then. Walking morosely to her locker she found Lucas waiting for her

"Hey Hales so what time do you want me to pick you up tonight?"

"Tonight?" she looked at him blankly.

"Yeah Haley you know the Valentines Day Dance that you begged me to take you to? Remember you said you were sick of missing out on Valentines Day just because you don't have a boyfriend so you asked me to come with you?"

"That's tonight but its not Valentines Day" she gulped.

"Yes well tomorrow is Valentine's Day in case you've forgotten and it's also a Saturday which is why they decided to have the dance tonight. God Hales where's your mind today".

"Pick me up at 7:30," she mumbled despondently.

"Ok see you then. I better run don't want to be late for practice".

_This day just gets better and better_ she told herself sarcastically.

**A.N** **Ok don't hate me for this chapter but I couldn't have everything go smoothly for the two of them. Where is the entertainment in that? Please let me know what you think.**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Nathan watched as Lucas entered the gym. He was late and Nathan was sure that he had been with Haley. _Man I hate that guy._ _I just don't get why she would want to hang out with him. _

"Nathan" Whitey's voice broke into Nathan's thoughts "do you think you could quit daydreaming and get started. You know we've got to be out of here early tonight so that they can finish setting this place up for the dance."

_Oh Shit the dance is tonight._ He glanced over to where the cheerleaders were practicing their latest routine. He hadn't spoken to Peyton for a few days but he assumed that their plans for the dance hadn't changed.

"NATHAN" Whitey's patience was obviously wearing thin and Nathan decided not to push things any further.

Lucas hearing Whitey's shout looked over to where Nathan was standing apparently lost in thought as he stared in the direction of the cheerleaders. _No he's not staring at all the cheerleaders he's staring at Peyton. What the hell? He better not be planning to make a move on her at the dance tonight. _He had told Peyton that he didn't want her to go to the dance with Nathan but her response had been that she would only cancel on Nathan if he cancelled on Haley and told her the truth about them. Lucas had backed off after that not yet ready to deal with Haley's reaction to the news that her best friend had been sneaking around with a cheerleader and hadn't even told her.

He wished that he had told Haley what was going on from the start because the more time that went by the harder it had gotten to broach the subject with her. Plus he knew that what would probably hurt Haley the most was that he had kept this from her for so long. The only reason that he hadn't told her was because of some stupid little pact that he had made with Haley the day they had started at Tree Hill High. They had watched the way the jocks and cheerleaders behaved and vowed to each other that they would never get involved with that group. For a long time it had been a very easy promise to keep. They had despised the way that Nathan and his group, which included Peyton, acted and if truth were told well none of them had really paid any attention to the two bookworms anyway. Of course it didn't help that Lucas was Nathan's half brother and the two of them had been raised to hate each other from the moment they were born. But for the most part he and Nathan had simply avoided each other and spent the majority of their time pretending that the other one did not exist, until of course Lucas had joined the Basketball team. As soon as Lucas had joined the team Nathan had declared war on the older boy and they had been at loggerheads ever since. There had been times when Lucas had seriously questioned whether being on the team was worth all the hassle he received but then it did have its good points. He came out of his daze to find Peyton watching him from across the gym and smiling at her quickly he turned back to Whitey to continue the pretence of actually listening to his game plan.

Haley meanwhile was begging off for the second time that week on her usual tutoring session. Luckily no one else needed to know about these missed sessions or those who knew her would certainly start to wonder what was going on. It was completely unlike her to miss even one and to have missed two in one week well that was unheard of. But she simply couldn't face the idea of sitting in that room trying to help someone else with their schoolwork when she wasn't even able to concentrate on her own. So instead Haley went home, took a bath and decided to have a lay down for a little while hoping to cure the pounding in her head.

Unfortunately for Haley her short rest turned into a rather long nap and by the time she woke up she had less than an hour till Lucas was due to arrive to pick her up. Rushing into her sister Janie's room she opened the cupboard praying that she had indeed left behind some of her dresses when she left for college. Luckily she and Janie were a fairly similar size and she had always felt comfortable borrowing from her sister.  
"Damn I guess she didn't leave behind as many clothes as I thought she did" Haley commented surveying the contents of her sister's wardrobe.

Spying a couple of possibilities she pulled them out and laid them on the bed running a critical eye over them. Deciding on the green silk dress that would end just above her knee she held it up to herself in front of the mirror only then noticing the rather large stain on the material.

"Guess I'll have to make do with this one" she said grabbing the black dress from the bed and retreating to her own room.

She dressed quickly and applied her make up putting the finishing touches to her hair just as the doorbell sounded announcing Lucas' arrival. Grabbing the small black bag that she had also liberated from Janie's room she quickly stuffed in her keys, phone and lipstick before rushing downstairs to let Lucas in.

"Hi Haley….Wow where did you get the dress? You look amazing" Luke complimented her standing back slightly to take in the full effect.

Forcing a smile Haley surveyed Luke's own appearance and indicated her approval "You don't look so bad yourself Handsome" she told him truthfully.

"Well pretty lady shall we go" Luke offered his arm to Haley and the two friends ventured out into the night.

Nathan arrived at Peyton's to collect her his mind filled with thoughts of Haley, wondering if she would be at the dance tonight. He knew he had messed up earlier when he had yelled at her about Lucas but hewas hoping to have a chance to put things right that night. Walking to Peyton's door he knocked and waited for her response trying desperately to put all thoughts of Haley out of his head for the moment. When the door opened he couldn't help but stare at Peyton.

"Hey sexy" he greeted her admiring her slim body in the tight red dress.

Peyton groaned "Nathan I've known you far too long for those lines to work on me. You should know that by now."

"Hey can't I comment on an attractive woman anymore? I'm not trying to hit on you Peyt just telling it like I see it."

She couldn't help but laugh at his crestfallen expression "yeah whatever lets just go". Walking to his car she hopped in and slipped one of her CD's into the player. Nathan grimaced slightly at the grungy rock music blaring from the speakers but knew there was no point trying to get her to turn it off. Getting behind the wheel he steered the car in the direction of the school anxious to see if Haley was there.

They had been at the dance for half an hour and Haley was bored. Lucas had spotted Jake almost as soon as they arrived and had immediately got into a passionate discussion about the upcoming game. She had been surreptitiously watching the door waiting to see if Nathan would come. Although she was determined to keep her distance that didn't mean she couldn't look now did it. Finally spotting his dark head coming through the door she couldn't help but smile to herself at least until she saw his blonde companion. _Why am I even surprised? I should have known that Nathan would have a date and it's only natural that it would be one of the best looking girls in school. _Feeling decidedly deflated after seeing Nathan with his date Haley grabbed Lucas' hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor. Hoping that some physical activity would distract her from watching Nathan and his date. She threw herself into the dance and eventually it had the desired effect as she forgot about everything else and just concentrated on the music. _See_ she tried to tell herself_ I don't need a boyfriend as long as I've got Lucas as my best friend I have everything I need._ Gradually though she became aware of the feeling that someone was watching her.

Nathan had been looking for her from the moment they had entered the gym, practically ignoring the guys who came up wanting to talk about basketball and barely registering the girls desperately flirting with him. There was only one girl he was interested in seeing and there she was in the arms of his half brother. For the moment though he didn't care that she was with Lucas he was too caught up in looking at her in that dress to care much about anything. From the front there didn't appear to be anything remarkable about the dress sure it clung to her curves perfectly and showed off a nice amount of her tanned thigh. But there were plenty of girls there who wore dresses that were shorter and tighter than the one Haley had on. No what was amazing about this dress could only be seen as she turned away from him and he saw that it was practically backless. Nathan felt his groin tighten at the sight of all that exposed skin and immediately wanted to punch Lucas as he saw his hand come to rest on her back as they danced. He desperately wanted it to be his hands that were touching her satiny skin.

Looking up Haley's eyes locked with Nathan's and she felt her heart jump in her chest as she saw the want in his eyes. Dragging her eyes away from his she looked at his date, Peyton too appeared to be staring in their direction. _Oh God why is Peyton looking at me. She must have noticed the way Nathan keeps looking at me. What if she suspects that there is something going on with him and me. This can't be good.  
_

Haley of course had no idea that Peyton had barely registered the fact that Haley was even there; her attention was fixed solely on Lucas. Peyton decided it was time to liven things up a bit so grabbing Nathan's hand she dragged him out onto the dance floor close to where Lucas and Haley were dancing. She began to dance with Nate sliding her body against his but keeping her gaze pinned firmly on Luke. Nathan having no clue what Peyton was up to went along with it but couldn't help but wish that it were Haley's body he was feeling rubbing against him.

Luke watched this little display and could barely contain his jealousy, which of course was exactly what Peyton was hoping for. Pulling away from Haley he excused himself to go get a drink. Seeing this Peyton stopped grinding up against Nathan and left supposedly to go to the bathroom.

Nathan immediately moved in front of Haley pleased to finally get a chance to speak to her without Lucas around.

"How about a dance" he asked with a grin.

"Uh no I think I'm going to sit this one out" Haley responded knowing that if she allowed Nathan to touch her there was no way she would be able to continue to pretend to herself that she was happy just being here with Lucas.

"Haley" Nathan said grabbing her wrist firmly "I want you to dance with me."

_Oh what the hell _she told herself _its only one dance. What harm can it do_? So she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms and began to dance loving the feeling of his hands on her bare back.

Nathan gently manoeuvred Haley off the floor and into a deserted corner of the gym. He continued to dance with her his hands rubbing in circular motions on her back; she put her arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes. She knew that he wanted her and she nervously ran her tongue over her bottom lip wondering if she dared to give into him knowing that Lucas could return at any moment. Before she could formulate an answer Nathan's mouth seized her own in a powerful kiss and she forgot all about Lucas as she kissed him back. His hands slid lower down her back, inside the silky material of her dress to cup her ass bringing her even closer to him. Her hands were inside his jacket stroking his skin through the thin material of his shirt. She could feel the heat of his skin through the barrier of his shirt and could no longer bear to have anything separating her hands from his body so she pulled the shirt from the waistband of his pants running her hands up over his ribs till she came to his chest. Instinctively her fingers sought out his hard nipples and she was shocked to feel the cold hard metal of the silver ring pierced through one. This however only added to her excitement as her lips once again hungrily sought Nathan's. Who knows how much further they would have gone in this dark corner of their school gym if at that moment hadn't come a rather loud clearing of somebody's throat from behind them.

"Ahem, Mr Scott and Miss James stop that immediately" bit out Mr Andrews' voice.

Haley jumped back as Nathan groaned and turned to face the new bane of his existence. _What the fuck have I done to deserve this karma _he thought _every time we seem to be getting somewhere something happens to screw it up. _Haley meanwhile had turned bright red with embarrassment at being caught in such a compromising position. She couldn't believe that she Haley James had been caught making out in the school gym. A teacher had found her with her hands up Nathan Scott's shirt and his hands _oh she didn't even want to think about where Mr Andrews' would have seen Nathan's hands. _Apparently Mr Andrews' shared her feelings "this is just the sort of behaviour I have come to expect from you Mr Scott but I would never have imagined that you Miss James would indulge in such pastimes in the school grounds". _Oh god I hope that was just a figure of speech_ Haley said to herself _the last thing I want to think about is that he has been imagining me doing these sorts of things in other places. _Haley shook her head trying to clear the unpleasant images that had taken over her brain.

"Right I want both of you back out where I can see you and no more of these shenanigans or I'll give you both detention."

Doing his best to appear suitably chastised Nathan grabbed Haley's hand and led her back to the main dance floor.

Noticing the stares they were attracting from the other students Haley disengaged her hand from his and frantically searched the faces praying that Lucas would not be among them_. I wonder where he and Peyton are? I was sure they would be looking for us by now. _But thinking about Lucas caused Haley's feelings of guilt to surface and she started to berate herself for once again showing so little care for her best friends feelings. _Oh God I have to get out of here. What if Lucas had been the one to catch us instead of Mr Andrews? He would have been so hurt._ Once again Haley was talking herself out of her feelings for Nathan and once again she was determined that she had to stay away from him. This pattern could not go on. She couldn't keep having these interactions with Nathan and then deciding to end it only to find herself giving into him once again. She had to stop this once and for all and it had to be tonight.

Turning to face Nathan she began to speak "Nathan I'm sorry but this has got to stop. I can't keep doing this. Lucas is my best friend and if he ever found out about this he would be devastated."

"Haley" Nathan interrupted "you can't tell me that you don't feel how good this is between us. You can't honestly want to stop this when we both make each other so happy."

"But that's just it Nathan, when we're together yeah it feels great but then I get overcome with guilt about keeping it from Lucas and I feel like shit," Haley tried to explain to him.

"I can't believe you" Nathan spat out angrily "You are willing to give up what we have for that punk. What is it about this guy that everyone just seems to adore? I'm fucked if I can see it" he exploded his anger boiling over as Haley once again rejected him.

"Nathan look I am sorry whether you choose to believe that or not but he's my best friend and has been longer than I've even known you."

"Fine. Whatever. What the Fuck do I care? I'm sure there's plenty of other girls here who would be only too happy to accommodate me so why don't you run off to your little friend and pretend that that's all you need. But remember Haley I know the truth I know you need more than just a platonic relationship with a man to keep you satisfied. I've seen how much you enjoy being touched, but go ahead tell yourself that you don't need it or want it. See how warm that keeps you at night," and with that he pushed past her in search of Tim knowing that he had smuggled in some alcohol and at that moment he needed a drink more than he ever had.

Haley watched him leave with tears in her eyes no matter how true some of what he had just said was she could not betray her best friend like this. She was certain she had done the right thing. However that didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell. Turning on her heel she ran out of the gym hoping to find Lucas and get some comfort from him even though she would never be able to tell him what was wrong. Lucas though was nowhere to be found in the gym or in the hall outside so she went outside thinking maybe he had decided to get some air. As she exited she looked around in the dark trying to spot him but to no avail. Hearing noises coming from around the corner she headed in their direction hoping he would be there. As she rounded the corner she was confronted with the sight of a couple getting hot and heavy with each other. Recognising Peyton's red dress and blonde curls she immediately made to leave not wanting to be caught standing there. _I guess I didn't have to worry about Peyton and Nathan after all_. It was then that she recognised a rather familiar dark blonde head caught in a passionate clinch with Peyton. _No_ she told herself _it couldn't be Lucas._

"Oh Lucas" Peyton's groan broke into Haley's mind and all of her illusions were irrevocably shattered in those two tiny words.

**A.N Don't forget to tell me what you think. I'm on a bit of a roll with this story at the moment so may get another chapter or two done this weekend with any luck. Hope you're all still enjoying it.**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A.N** **Just a quick note for those who have been following the story closely to make sure you remember where we left things last time. Haley had just rejected Nathan for what seems like the millionth time and had gone in search of Lucas. She had of course found him with Peyton in a rather compromising position. Now on with the story. Just to let you know though Nathan is going to show a bit of a different side to himself in this chapter. Let me know whether you like this Nathan or not.**

**Chapter Eleven**

"Peyton" Lucas' voice came to Haley as he finally wrenched his lips away from hers "I really should get back in there. Haley's probably wondering where I am."

"Come on Lucas we've managed to be together for two whole months without arousing her suspicions what difference is a few more minutes going to make" Peyton pleaded.

"Yeah ok but only a few more minutes," he agreed.

"That's all I need" Peyton told him with a smile.

Haley stood there frozen, _this could not be happening_. Lucas had been having it off with a cheerleader for two months and she had been completely oblivious to it. What was worse was she had felt guilty about a few stolen moments with Nathan while all the time this had been going on. She questioned for a moment whether she should confront Lucas about this but then decided why bother. She had obviously been the only one to really care about their friendship. _Well you know what Lucas two can play that game _and with that she turned and walked purposefully toward the gym.

Nathan stood with all his friends listening half heartedly to their narrative on all the so-called hot chicks and what they would like to do with them. Normally Nathan would have been fully involved in this conversation if not leading it but right now he couldn't care less.

"Hey Nate here comes your latest challenge" Tim said, "She's actually looking pretty good tonight. Since you don't seem to be having any luck with her maybe its time I gave her a try."

Hearing this Nathan grabbed Tim by the front of his shirt practically lifting him off the ground with the force.

"You stay away from her Tim. Do you hear me"?

"Yeah alright man whatever. What's wrong with you? Never known you to get this possessive over a chick before." He laughed.

"Nothing ok she's just not the sort of girl who's going to be interested in a one night stand with you." Nathan told him in no uncertain terms.

He felt a light touch on his arm and released Tim turning to find Haley standing in front of him.

"Nate will you dance with me?" she asked him timidly.

"Ok" he responded looking puzzled _wasn't this the same girl who couldn't wait to get away from him just fifteen minutes ago? _

Taking his hand in hers she led him out onto the floor turning to face him when she found some space, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest.

"Hales what's going on?" he asked her not understanding why she was back in his arms.

"Nate I really don't want to talk about it can you please just hold me?"

Nathan didn't need to be asked twice as he wrapped his arms around her and slowly rocked their bodies in time to the music. Nathan tried once more to find out what it was that had her so clearly upset

"Haley you know you can talk to me. I know we haven't exactly talked much in the time we've been together but if there's something bothering you I'm happy to listen."

"Nate please I told you I don't want to talk about it" Haley pleaded with him

"no I guess that's the sort of thing you have a best friend for isn't it" he said snidely upset that she didn't feel she could confide in him the way she probably would have with Lucas.

"What best friend?" she asked "I don't have one anymore."

Nathan didn't know how to respond to this so he simply held her tighter and wondered what on earth was going on. _Something must have happened with Lucas but what? Surely if he had seen us together earlier then there is no way she would have come back to me obviously looking for comfort.  
_

His thoughts were interrupted by an extremely angry Lucas

"Nathan get the fuck away from her. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Nathan turned to face his brother keeping his arms around Haley who made no move to pull away.

"Come on Haley lets get out of here and get away from this Neanderthal" Lucas practically ordered her reaching out to grab her arm.

"I'm not going anywhere with you Lucas" Haley replied icily "I'm quite happy where I am".

A crowd began to gather around them everyone interested to see what had caused the latest disagreement between the two brothers.

"Haley you can't be serious" Lucas exclaimed, "You hate Nathan".

"No Lucas you hate Nathan right now the only person I hate is you."

Lucas looked at her dumbfounded this could not be happening. His Haley would never side with Nathan over him. _What the hell is going on here? _

"Haley" Luke tried a more conciliatory tone "you don't mean that. But you're obviously upset so why don't we get out of here and we can talk about this in private" he said, pointedly looking at the crowd of onlookers gathered around them.

"I AM NOT GOING ANYWHWERE WITH YOU" Haley bit out enunciating every word carefully as if he was deaf or just plain stupid "and don't try to tell me what I mean and don't mean."

Lucas once again tried to reach out and grab her arm but Nathan roughly shoved him away. "You're obviously not wanted here so why don't you just leave," he told his brother barely even looking at him as he focused all his attention on the girl shaking in his arms.

"I'm not going anywhere without Haley" he said stubbornly.

"Fine Lucas" Haley said noticing the look of relief coming onto his face "if you won't leave then we will. Come on Nate" and without another word she walked away from Lucas Nathan's arm staying firmly around her shoulders as he guided her away from the gym and out to his waiting car.

Lucas stared after them for a moment before his shoulders slumped dejectedly and he too left the gym.

"Where do you want me to take you" Nathan asked uncertainly as they drove out of the car park.

She didn't answer for a moment as she stared forlornly out the window. "Should I just take you back to your place" he tried once more.

This earnt him a response as Haley's head shot up "I'd prefer that you didn't" she told him "Lucas is probably already on his way there."

"Ok so where will it be then? Do you want me to drop you at one of your girlfriends houses so you can talk to someone?" He suggested. "Can we just go back to your place?" She asked him her voice had a pleading note to it.

Feeling a combination of pleasure that she wanted to be with him and also nervousness because she was so clearly upset and he still had no idea what was wrong Nathan did a u-turn and headed towards the beach house not wanting to deal with the hassle he would receive from his parents if he were to go home.

They drove in silence until they finally reached his house. "Are you sure you want to be here?" he asked her.

"There's no place I'd rather be" she assured him.

Going inside Nathan put on the lights in a guest room

"I hope this room will be ok for you. The sheets are clean and there should be towels in the cupboard. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything else" he told her.

Haley's voice stopped him as he went to leave "Nathan is it ok if I just stay with you tonight?" she asked quietly "Its just I really don't want to be alone."

"Of course you can Hales. If you're sure that's what you want."

"I'm sure," she told him with certainty.

With his arm around her waist he led her into his room. Releasing her for a moment he rummaged through his closet emerging with one of his t-shirts "Here you can wear this" he offered.

"Thanks" she accepted it gratefully forcing a small smile onto her lips.

"You can change in there," he said pointing to the bathroom.

As Nathan watched her walk across the hall to the bathroom he was struck by how utterly exhausted she appeared. It seemed as if all the life had gone out of her and he wished he knew what he could do to bring that sparkle back into her eyes. He had never seen her like this before. She always seemed to have a certain energy surrounding her whether she was happy, angry or in the grips of passion. They were the sides of Haley he was familiar with but this was something completely new to him. He didn't know how to deal with a sad Haley. Truth was he didn't know how to deal with a sad female period. No other girl had ever come to him for comfort before. They had come to him for plenty of other things but comfort definitely wasn't one of them. There was no point thinking of what his dad would do, Dan was hardly a good role model of how to treat women. This was something he was going to have to figure out on his own he only hoped that hewouldn't screw it up.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Haley re-entering his bedroom, his t-shirt hanging loosely on her petite body. She had removed her make up and her eyes were puffy from crying but Nathan was entranced by her.

"Come here" he said holding out his hand to her.

She placed her hand in his going willingly into his arms as he pulled her close to him wanting to offer comfort and not knowing how else he should do it. She sighed into his chest as some of the tension was released from her body by his warm embrace. Pulling back the covers on the bed he helped her into it before stepping back to remove his clothes. After stripping down to his boxer shorts he walked around to the other side of the bed getting in behind her but keeping a certain distance between their bodies. He didn't want to scare her or make her think that he expected something from her simply because she was in his bed. Looking at her back he sighed and rolled over onto his own back not sure what else he should do. _I don't know how I'm possibly going to sleep tonight. _As he thought this he felt movement in the bed beside him as Haley turned towards him placing her arm across his waist and resting her head on his chest seeming to need the warmth of Nathan's body close to her. He draped his arm around her shoulders and a feeling of contentment overcame him. For perhaps the first time ever Nathan Scott had a girl in his bed and he was more than content just to hold her.

Nathan felt his eyes start to close ready for sleep but Haley's voice came to him through the dark.

"Nathan I don't understand why you're doing this for me. I was such a bitch earlier on refusing to consider your feelings because I was too caught up in how things were affecting me. Why did you defend me to Lucas? You could have just left me there but you didn't and I guess I just want to know why?" she finished in a rush sounding almost scared to hear what his response would be.

Nathan sighed not knowing how to express what he was feeling in words, not even sure at this stage what he was feeling. "To be honest Haley I really don't know. All I knew was that you were upset and I couldn't just stand by and let somebody do that to you." He responded and immediately wanted to take it back sure that it had come out sounding as if he had just done her some giant favour and now she should be indebted to him. He almost expected her to jump out of the bed in outrage and tell him where he could shove his misguided chivalry.

He held his breath waiting for her response and released it in a whoosh of relief when she simply snuggled in closer to him. "So I guess I owe you an explanation," she said softly.

"Haley its ok you don't owe me anything" Nathan quickly tried to assure her.

"Nathan its ok I want to tell you that is if you still want to hear it?" She said the uncertainty creeping back into her voice.

"Haley you can tell me anything" he assured her and for the next twenty minutes he just lay there quietly listening as she explained what had happened and why it had upset her so much.

Listening to her speak Nathan suddenly understood a whole lot more about Haley James and why she had run so hot and cold with him. She had been caught between a rock and a hard place with him constantly coming onto her and knowing how Lucas her best friend felt about him. It was no wonder that she had seemed so angry with herself on the occasions she had given in to him. He also got a further insight into Lucas and he was not impressed. He could not believe what a jerk his brother had been, hiding his relationship from Haley just because he didn't have the balls to tell her about it. At that moment he would have loved nothing better than to go find Lucas and beat him to a pulp for hurting Haley like this. But he knew that even though it would probably make him feel better about things it wouldn't help Haley. So he buried his anger and instead focused on Haley brushing away the tears that fell in a steady stream and trying to calm her when the anger at Lucas' betrayal manifested. Finally she fell into an exhausted sleep, her head resting on Nathan's chest, his arms holding her securely as if in a silent promise to protect her from anything or anyone that tried to hurt her.

Nathan lay awake for a while longer contemplating all he had learned that night. He hated seeing Haley upset like this and he resolved that no matter what he was going to make sure she enjoyed herself tomorrow_. After all_ he said smiling to himself _tomorrow is Valentines Day.  
_


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A.N Hey all, thought we could all use a nice bit of Naley fluff for their first Valentines Day so here it is. The only question is can it last? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out. Hopefully there will be another chapter up tomorrow but will depend on how busy I get with work. I love hearing what you guys think so please keep reviewing and thanx so much to everyone who has reviewed already. It has definitely inspired me to keep writing.**

**No changes have been made. If you've read it before its still the same.**

**Chapter Twelve**

When Haley woke late the next morning she couldn't help but smile. She was still lying cuddled up to Nathan and she could feel his fingers stroking gently over her back. Lifting her head from his chest she looked at him and her smile grew. _He looks so cute first thing in the morning _she thought. Nathan had been awake for a while but hadn't wanted to disturb her so he had remained where he was just watching her sleep despite the fact that he was desperate to go to the bathroom.

"Morning Beautiful" he greeted her "Happy Valentines Day."

"Hey Gorgeous Happy Valentines Day to you too" she responded happily.

"Now as much as I love lying here with you in my arms" he told her "if I don't move now there are going to be some very unpleasant consequences."

Haley moved off his chest looking at him quizzically. He bent his head to give her a quick kiss before bolting from the bed in the direction of the bathroom.

Haley alone for the first time since they had gone to bed couldn't help but think back to the events of the previous night. Her perceptions of the two Scott boys had done a complete 180 last night. Lucas had completely devalued their friendship while Nathan had shown her a whole other side to his personality that she would never in a million years have guessed that he possessed. He had been so sweet and caring and he hadn't made a move on her once, which was completely unexpected. She was going to have to completely re-evaluate what their relationship was because she could no longer continue to lie to herself that it was nothing more than a physical attraction.

Standing in the doorway watching her Nathan couldn't keep the smile from his face.

"Hmmm I could get used to this," he said interrupting her thoughts.

"To what?" she questioned him.

"The sight of you in my bed wearing one of my t-shirts although I wouldn't object if you decided to lose the t-shirt" he grinned.

Haley smiled to herself she should have known that Nathan wouldn't be able to control himself for long. The man was born to flirt and she was surprised he'd managed to last this long without slipping out some remark guaranteed to make her blush. _That's better _he said to himself _now I just have to come up with a way to keep that smile there. _

"So" he said a wicked gleam coming into his eye "shall we just spend the rest of the day in bed?"

"Now Nathan" Haley responded playfully "as well equipped as your bedroom is" she said looking at the TV, DVD player and X-Box all with in easy reach of the bed "don't you think we'd get bored spending the whole day in here?"

"Don't worry," he answered with that infamous smirk back on his face "I'm sure I can think of plenty of things to entertain you" his smirk fading as he ran his eyes rather deliberately over her body.

Haley's face turned bright red and she practically jumped out of the bed. _That offer sounded way too tempting_. "Umm I think I'll just go jump in the shower," she said hurriedly moving towards the door.

"Want some help to wash your back?" he asked thoroughly enjoying teasing her like this.

"No, no that's ok" she assured him breathlessly "I can manage just fine by myself" and with that bolted out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom.

He couldn't contain his laughter as he heard the lock sliding into place. _That girl is far too easy to tease. _Still chuckling slightly he headed down to make them both some breakfast confident that the last thing Haley would be thinking about now would be her fight with Lucas. He could almost guarantee that the water in that shower would be cold.

Haley stayed in the shower for more than twenty minutes wanting to make sure she had herself back under control before she faced Nathan again. _What is it about him that has this effect on me? I mean its not like he's the first guy to ever flirt with me and I've always been able to just laugh them off in the past. Yet for some reason all it takes is a few well-chosen words from him and I'm a wreck._ She was startled by the sound of a light knock at the door.

"Haley are you nearly done in there or am I going to have to come in there and get you?"

Haley immediately turned off the water grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body as she flung the door open

"No, no its fine I'm finished".

She raced out of the bathroom stopping dead when she saw the smile on his face at the sight of her wearing nothing but a towel. Looking down at herself she pulled the ends of the towel a bit tighter around her and with as much dignity as she could walked across the hall to his room. Turning to close the door she was taken aback to find him right behind her

"umm Nathan I think I can manage to dress myself without any help" she told him firmly.

"Yeah I'm sure you can" he said "besides I'd be much better at helping you to take your clothes off instead of actually putting some on" he added flirtatiously. "But that's not what I'm here for" he told her.

"It's not?" she asked a trace of regret in her voice "I mean of course it's not because I wouldn't let you" she added more forcefully.

"Haley you do remember how easy it was for me to prove your revulsion theory wrong" her eyes widened as she realised what he was about to say. "Don't tempt me to prove you wrong on this one too. Because you and I both know I would," he said with absolute certainty.

"Anyway I only came to tell you that breakfast is ready and since I doubt you want to spend the day in your dress from last night you can wear these" he said indicating a clean t-shirt and a pair of his sweat pants that he had laid out on the bed. "Now get dressed," he said tapping her lightly on the ass "I'm getting hungry".

When Haley entered the kitchen a few minutes later Nathan burst out laughing.

"What's so funny" she asked indignantly although she was fairly sure she knew the answer, she had caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror before coming down. By this stage Nathan had tears running down his face at the ridiculous sight of Haley standing there practically swallowed up in his clothes. She had rolled the cuffs up on the bottom of the pants as far as she could but they still swum on her. As for the t-shirt well it was probably longer than the dress she had worn the night before.

"Stop it Nathan" Haley's face was flushed with embarrassment but Nathan seemed incapable of stopping.

He was holding his sides almost bent over double and was beginning to turn red himself from lack of oxygen. Haley hung her head, her hair acting as a curtain across her face, her shoulders beginning to visibly heave. Nathan's humour died instantly and he quickly moved in front of her wrapping his arms gently around her stroking her hair.

"Hales I'm so sorry I shouldn't have laughed at you. I truly didn't mean to upset you." He apologised his eyes full of remorse.

Haley looked up at him a mischievous glint in her eye as she grinned at him broadly. "You didn't really believe that I would start crying just because you laughed at me did you?" she asked teasingly. "Nathan I've grown up with three older brothers as well as four sisters I can deal with a bit of harmless teasing" she told him. "Its amazing though" she mused "that pretend to cry trick always used to work wonders on them too".

"Oh my god" he said unable to believe he had fallen for such an obvious ploy " I cannot believe you conned me like that. You are going to pay for that," he threatened as he advanced upon her.

Haley took one look at his advancing form and turned tail and ran as fast as she could out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the living room. She could hear him gaining on her and turned to look back over her shoulder trying to judge how much time she had before he would catch up to her. She was unaware of one of the cuffs of the sweat pants she wore unrolling as she ran. _Just five more metres and I'll be in the lounge _she thought _if I can just make it there I could use the furniture as a barrier. Keep the couch between us. _Gathering her energy she made a desperate lunge forward and her foot caught in the material of her pants pitching her forward to land face first in the plush leather of the sofa. Nathan was right behind her and only barely managed to save himself from crashing down on top of her.

"Shit Hales are you ok? You're not hurt are you?" Nathan's voice practically begging for a response as he knelt beside her.

The response he received however was not quite what he expected as Haley raised her head from the soft leather laughing uncontrollably. "I can't believe what an idiot I am," she giggled. "This is definitely one of those things that would only ever happen to me".

Nathan's lips covering hers in a fierce kiss cut off her laugh. Watching her laugh he had been absolutely entranced by her and plagued by an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He wasn't even sure why, there was just something about seeing her so obviously full of joy that called out to him. He couldn't recall ever in his life experiencing the sort of joy he saw in Haley and it was something he desperately wanted to experience for himself. So he kissed her almost as if subconsciously he hoped to be able to absorb some of that elation into his own body, to feel just a taste of what she was feeling. Her response was enthusiastic as her tongue traced over his lips before his tongue came to capture hers. Their passion built until eventually she tore her lips away not because she wanted the kiss to end but for a chance to regain her breath. His fingers traced over her cheekbone in a gentle caress

"You are so beautiful" he told her. She looked into his eyes and could see that he meant every word of it. She rolled onto her back capturing his face between her hands and pulling him toward her for another kiss. This kiss was different the pace more gentle and to Haley it was the most wonderful kiss imaginable. Nathan stood up from his kneeling position moving her so that she lay on her side and got on the couch behind her his arm coming around her waist entwining his fingers with hers.

"I love" he stopped unsure of what to say not yet ready to admit to any deep feeling, not even sure that he knew what love was. "I love being here with you like this" he amended.

"Me too Nate, I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Forever huh well I don't know about forever but I think the rest of the weekend is a definite possibility". He told her with a smirk "and since we missed breakfast I think I could possibly even be persuaded to cook us a special Valentines dinner.

"Oh really" she responded feigning ignorance "and what sort of persuasion would you need?"

"I'm sure I can think of something," came his reply close to her ear before his lips found her neck and she was left to wonder who was supposed to be persuading who.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the main characters in this story they are the property of the WB network. The only ones I own are the ones that none of you have ever heard of because they are figments of my imagination. If I did have any ownership rights to the show you can guarantee that things with Nathan and Haley at least would be quite different. **

**Chapter Thirteen**

Monday morning came around far too soon for Haley. She had finally left Nathan last night when he had dropped her back at her house and had been avoiding phone calls from Lucas ever since. Walking downstairs she waited for Nathan to arrive, he had promised to pick her up for school and even though she had only seen him less than twelve hours ago she could hardly wait for him to arrive. Hearing a car pull up outside she went to greet him a huge smile on her face. He got out of the car and came to greet her wrapping her in a hug and stealing a quick kiss.

"Good morning beautiful, did you miss me?"

"Miss you?" She said jokingly "now why would I miss you?"

"Ok well perhaps you missed this," he said pulling her into a kiss.

Hearing another vehicle pull up in front of her house she broke away. A look of displeasure crossed her face as she saw Lucas walking towards them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked icily.

"I've come to drive you to school" he started.

"Well as you can no doubt see that wasn't necessary. Goodbye." She added turning away from him and focusing all of her attention back onto Nathan.

"Haley I need to talk to you" Lucas tried again.

"Well guess what Luke I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

"Haley please" but she wasn't listening as she climbed into Nathan's car closing the door firmly behind her and stared straight ahead as she waited for Nathan to join her. Nathan started the engine and they drove away neither one of them sparing another glance to the frustrated young man who still stood in her driveway.

"We are going to talk Haley whether you want to or not," Lucas promised staring after the departing SUV.

"Can you believe the nerve of him turning up to drive me to school as if nothing had happened. Why would he think I would actually want to listen to anything that he has to say?" she fumed.

"Haley you know if he gives you any trouble you just tell me and I'll sort him out," Nathan told her.

"I know and I appreciate the thought Nate but I think for now I should just avoid him. He'll get the message sooner or later."

_Hopefully sooner_ she couldn't help but think. He had already put a dampener on her good mood and she was determined not to waste any more time thinking about him.

"So" she said turning to him forcing a brightness into her tone that she didn't really feel "did you manage to sleep ok without me?" she asked jokingly.

"I managed," he said lightly "just".

The truth was that he had missed the feeling of having her body curled up with his even after just two nights spent together. They pulled into the parking lot and looked out at the students milling around.

"Are you sure you wouldn't just rather spend the day at the beach house?" he pleaded.

"Oh don't tempt me" she responded "no much as I would love to I have too much to do today and I have a shift at the café tonight so I think we're just going to have to make the best of it" she told him.

"Besides we've already run into Lucas I don't see how it could get any worse."

She noticed a girl from one of her classes Beth Jones staring in their direction, glaring daggers at Haley.

"Oh god I hadn't even thought that now I'm going to have to deal with a lot of very jealous females," she said.

Nathan smirked at her comment "well you know I am irresistible" he told her arrogantly.

"Yeah right" she said laughing "but I'm serious look at the way Beth keeps staring at us, she looks like she wants to kill me."

His head snapped up searching for and finding Beth who was indeed sending murderous looks in their direction.

"So" he said rushing to change the subject "what class do you have first?"

Haley looked at him strangely "English, remember you're in my class."

"Oh yeah of course" he said nervously "must have lost track of what day it is." Grabbing her hand he led her towards their lockers being very careful to steer clear of Beth and her possible homicidal inclinations.

"Peyton are you absolutely certain that you heard them right? You're sure that that's what they said," Lucas asked for the umpteenth time since the dance had ended.

Peyton groaned in response "Yes Luke I'm certain. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"This will be the last time I promise. Now start from the beginning and tell me again what you saw and heard."

"Ok but this had better be the last time," she conceded reluctantly.

"It was after you and Haley had your big fight and she had left with Nathan and you had done a disappearing act. I went looking for Jake to see if he knew where you were but when I found him he was with Tim not you. I decided to wait around till they finished their talk so I could ask Jake if he had seen you."

"Yeah and…" Luke ground out impatiently.

Peyton shot him a warning look and Luke shut up. He knew if he pushed Peyton too far she would refuse to tell him the rest of her tale and although he had heard it before he needed to be absolutely certain that he had all the facts straight before he could work figure out what to do with the information.

"Anyway" Peyton continued looking at Luke almost daring him to interrupt her again "then I hear Tim bitching and moaning about how some girl called Beth won't go out with him. To be honest he looked pretty trashed otherwise I doubt he would have even been telling Jake about this let alone speaking loud enough for me to hear them."

Peyton realising she was getting off track took a deep breath and continued "then they start talking about how Nate hooked up with her about a week ago and Jake made some comment about how she really doesn't seem like Nate's type and how come to think of it Haley doesn't either. Then Tim just starts laughing hysterically and the only word I could make out that he was saying was something about a challenge. Apparently Jake didn't know what he was saying either, because he asked him what he was talking about and Tim told him that he and Nate had been playing some game for the last couple of months. The game is for Tim to pick some girl that for some reason or other doesn't like Nate and Nate has to get them to fall for him. So that's it." She concluded. "Tim challenged Nathan to see if he could get Haley to fall for him."

"Those bastards" Luke swore, "where the hell do they get off playing with peoples lives like this? Haley is going to be devastated when I tell her."

"What?" Peyton shouted stopping dead in her tracks "what do you mean tell her?"

"Well of course I'm going to tell her, she's my best friend" Luke responded looking at Peyton as if she'd suddenly sprouted another head.

"But Lucas you told me yourself she hates you right now. What makes you think she's even going to listen to you?"

"Maybe she won't" Luke admitted "but I have to at least try".

Sitting in English Haley was finding it very difficult to concentrate on what Mr Andrews was saying. Nathan sat beside her paying far more attention to watching her then to the lesson, not that a lack of attention to class was anything unusual for Nathan. He rarely paid attention to any of his classes and with Haley there well lets just say his interest wasn't on the podgy balding man standing at the front of the room. When the bell rang he stood up picking up the textbooks that he hadn't even bothered to open and taking Haley by the hand made his way towards the door.

"Mr Scott" the teachers voice halted his getaway.

He reluctantly turned back to see what he wanted.

"I want to see you in my office after school today. We need to have a serious talk about your grades."

"Alright I'll be there," Nathan agreed reluctantly.

_Damn now what. This guy has so got it in for me lately_ he thought but in truth he knew that his grades were really not up to scratch and was surprised it had taken this long for any of his teachers to request a meeting.

"Lets go," he said to Haley once again taking her hand. "Well since that's the only class we have together I guess I'll just see you at lunch," he told her.

"Oh Nathan I can't today I promised one of the students that I tutor that I would give them an extra session at Lunch today since we missed one last week."

"You're kidding right?" He said hopefully but could tell that she wasn't. "Alright well I guess I'll see you after school. It shouldn't take me too long to convince Mr Andrews that I'll try harder in class so wait for me by the lockers and I'll drive you to work."

"Ok sounds good" she agreed happily.

"Maybe I should think about employing you as my own private tutor" he said with a grin.

"You couldn't afford me," she teased.

"In that case" he said tracing a finger across her lips "I might have to come up with a different method of payment." He smirked the look in his eye leaving Haley in no doubt as to what method he was referring to.

Haley blushed "I'm sure we could come to some mutually satisfying agreement," she told him for the first time allowing her flirty side to come through.

Nathan's eyes darkened as he took in the meaning behind her words "I don't suppose you'd be interested in finding somewhere private where we could work out the terms?" he asked huskily.

The bell rang to signal their next class and the spell was broken

"Not right now but maybe after work," she told him standing up on her tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on his lips before hurrying off to class. "I'll see you after school," she called back over her shoulder

"you definitely will" he responded under his breath watching as she darted into her classroom, before turning and casually walking off to his own class.

It was Lunchtime and Lucas was wandering the school desperately trying to track down Haley. He had seen Nathan in the cafeteria and knew she wasn't with him, he had also checked the library to no avail so he could only think of one more place that she might be. Pausing outside the tutoring centre he spotted her through the glass in the door. Pushing the door open he entered causing Haley to look up from what she was reading. She barely glanced at him before she returned her attention back to her book and uttered a firm

"Get out," in his direction.

Focusing his attention on the other occupant of the room Lucas smiled nervously

"hey Susie would you mind giving us some privacy?"

As Susie went to stand up Haley's voice sounded "Don't bother Susie he's not staying."

Lucas gave the blonde cheerleader a pleading look and Susie stood, gathered her books and turned to Haley, "actually Haley I have somewhere I have to be. I completely forgot but we'll finish this some other time ok?" and left. As she walked away down the hall she shook her head _what is it about that girl? That's both Scott boys in one week. I have got to find out her secret. _

Meanwhile Haley was thinking that this was one Scott she could have done without. "Lucas I told you earlier I don't want to speak to you. So why don't you just leave me alone."

"Haley there is something I have to tell you," he began "and I already told you that I don't want to hear it" she cut him off angrily.

"Its about Nathan" he said.

"Look Luke I know you don't like him but that really doesn't matter to me anymore. I have no interest in your opinion on anything anymore least of all my love life."

"Haley please,"

"no Luke you completely betrayed me and now you expect me to let you tell me that I shouldn't be with Nathan well its not going to happen. He's a much better person then you will ever be. I know he has his faults but I don't care."

Lucas' anger started to grow as he listened to her defend his asshole of a brother. "You were just a game," he shouted.

"What?" she responded looking mystified.

"Tim challenged Nathan to get you to fall for him," he told her more calmly watching her avidly for her response. Haley stared at him for a moment and then began to laugh nastily

"you really expect me to believe that?" she asked. "If you were going to make up some story to try and make me hate him you could have at least tried to make it believable," she said confidently.

"I'm not making this up Haley" he told her firmly.

"Yeah well I don't believe you Lucas and if you think this is a way to repair our friendship then I have to wonder if there is even a friendship to repair," she added spitefully.

"Fine Haley don't believe me," he said "but before you make up your mind you might want to have a chat to Beth Jones and ask her about Nathan's winning ways with women."

Haley froze remembering the way Beth had looked at her that morning. Her mind flashed to her disagreement with Nathan the other day he had said something then about Tim but she hadn't been able to make out what he said. _It can't be true_ she tried desperately to convince herself but deep down she couldn't help but acknowledge the possibility that Lucas was telling the truth. It would certainly explain why after ignoring her for so long Nathan had suddenly seemed to notice her and why he had come on so strong. All of a sudden it all began to make sense but instead of being upset she was extremely angry.

"Haley," Lucas' concerned voice filled her ears as he came to stand beside her putting a comforting arm around her shoulder "are you ok?"

Haley violently shrugged his arm off and whirled around to face him. "How dare you" she spat the words at him. "First you betray our friendship and now you have the nerve to come here and tell me that the guy I've fallen for was just using me as part of some sick game. What is it with men? Why can they never just be honest?"

"Hales" Luke tried once more

"Just get out" she screamed.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that her anger probably shouldn't be directed at Lucas he was after all just the messenger but at that moment she was beyond rational thinking and she needed to release this rage that was building up inside of her and Lucas just happened to be the closest person making him the perfect target. Lucas hesitated he truly didn't want to leave her alone when she was in such a mood but he also knew Haley well enough to know that when she got like this she really needed time and space to cool down and him staying at the moment could only make things worse.

Sighing heavily he walked to the door turning he told her "you know where I'll be if you want to talk." Haley didn't even glance in his direction in acknowledgement of what he had said she just stared at the window. Sighing again Lucas left.

Finally alone Haley felt her anger start to dissipate she needed to think and she couldn't do that here and she knew there was no way she could face any of her classes that afternoon. Walking quickly out of the tutoring centre she went to her locker and grabbed her bag avoiding making eye contact with anyone. Then praying that she wouldn't get caught she snuck out of the school grounds and walked in the direction of Karen's café. As she walked she thought about everything that had happened in the last week and was overwhelmed by sadness. She had lost her best friend and just as she had started to believe that there could be something real between her and Nathan that fantasy had been cruelly shattered. _Why was I so stupid to fall for such a stunt I should have known Nathan would never have truly been interested in a girl like me. I mean we couldn't be more different from each other. Oh why didn't I see it sooner? You are so stupid Haley_ she berated herself. Because above all when ever things went wrong Haley's main instinct was to find a way to blame herself for it. Her thoughts continued until she finally reached the haven of Karen's café hoping that Karen would not question her too much on why she was not at school.

"Haley" Karen's voice held more than a hint of surprise but as she opened her mouth to question her early arrival she caught sight of the unshed tears that filled her eyes and decided now was not the time.

"Have you eaten Honey? The lunch rush is over so why don't you settle yourself in one of those booths and I'll fix you something to eat."

Haley smiled gratefully at the older woman not because she welcomed the thought of food but because Karen had understood Haley well enough to know that she really didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was troubling her. She walked to a booth and sat down absorbed in her own thoughts until the time came for her shift to start. The food Karen had brought her remained untouched.

Nathan meanwhile was completely oblivious to the earlier events and the only thing troubling him at this time was the fact that instead of being able to meet Haley he had to first report to Mr Andrews. Walking casually into the office he looked directly at his teacher and without a word of greeting asked

"Can we make this quick I have someone waiting for me?"

"Sit down Mr Scott" came the response from Mr Andrews "we have a lot to talk about".

"Look Sir I know what you're going to say you want me to try harder etc so how about I save us some time and tell you that I will and you can let me get out of here."He said already moving towards the door.

"Mr Scott you will sit down right now and listen to every word I have to say unless of course you no longer have any interest in playing basketball?"

Nathan sat realising that Mr Andrews was no longer going to allow himself to be brushed off by Nathan. He sighed _why do I have the feeling that I'm going to be here for a while?  
_

It was close to 45 minutes later before Nathan was finally able to get away from Mr Andrews and race back to the lockers.

"Damn" he cursed seeing no sign of Haley "I hope she's not pissed with me for being late."

Hurriedly collecting his belongings from his locker he headed for his car driving slowly towards the café he kept his eyes peeled for Haley walking by the side of the road. _She must be a faster walker than I thought _he conceded to himself. Pulling into a parking space directly in front of Karen's he caught sight of Haley busily serving customers and smiled to himself. He hadn't realised how much he had missed her until he saw her again. _Man I must be getting soft if I can't even get through a day without missing her. _Still smiling he got out of his car and entered the café his smile widening in anticipation of her welcome.

Haley looked up as she heard the bell above the door jingle announcing a new customer. The fake smile she had adopted all afternoon disappearing as soon as she saw him to be replaced by a glare. Nathan stopped for a moment shocked by the look she was giving him. He knew he had screwed up but he hadn't expected her to be this upset about it.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted her "sorry about taking so long, Mr Andrews was a complete pain in the ass."

Haley turned away without a word and went back to serving customers.

"Ok well I can see you're busy" he added "so I'll just take a seat until you're able to talk."

Finally breaking her silence she glared at him once again before replying icily "Don't bother I have nothing to say to you".

"Ah Haley don't you think you might be slightly overreacting to me being held up and not able to drive you to work?" he asked truly puzzled as to why she would be so pissed when he had already explained what had happened.

"Nathan this has nothing to do with you not driving me to work" she told him doing her best to remain calm it would be completely unfair to Karen for her to bring her personal problems into work.

"Well then what the hell is the problem" Nathan demanded clearly becoming frustrated with not knowing what was going on.

"Nathan please just leave and don't come back. I don't want to see you again."

"Haley I'm not leaving until you tell me what is going on," he said determinedly.

Haley was hit with a sense of déjà vu anyone who thought that the Scott brothers were nothing alike had obviously never taken into consideration their innate stubbornness. Her reaction to Nathan's stubbornness though was quite similar to how she felt with Lucas'. To put it simply it was making her blood boil.

"Fine Nathan you want to know what my problem is I'll tell you. You are my problem now why don't you just get out," she said pointing at the door.

"No way. I'm not leaving until you give me a straight answer."

They were now completely oblivious to the stares they were receiving from the customers and their voices had risen steadily throughout their argument so that they were now shouting at each other. Changing tack for the moment Haley looked at Nathan and asked

"Nathan do you know anything about a challenge that Tim set up?" Nathan visible paled at her question

"What are you talking about?" he asked nervously.

"I'm talking about how this was all just some sick game to you."

"Haley" Nathan tried to interrupt.

"Nathan I really don't want to hear it," she told him her voice losing its anger and instead taking on a tone of resignation "and I don't ever want to see you again. So will you please just go?" she added and Nathan could hear the finality in her voice. He knew there would be no point trying to talk to her now so he turned and walked away closing the door quietly behind him.

"Haley" Karen's soft voice full of concern sounded in her ear "I can manage for the moment why don't you go and take a break?"

Haley returned half an hour later and quietly went about her work until finally she saw that it was time to close up. She turned the sign on the door around to show they were closed and started wiping down the tables. Karen was in the kitchen cleaning up so Haley was left alone with her thoughts. She could hardly believe the day that had just happened. She wished that she could just wake up in her bed or better yet Nathan's and find out it had all just been a bad dream but realistically Haley knew that that wasn't going to happen. Hearing the bell above the door once again she called out in a flat voice

"We're closed. Come back tomorrow."

But the sound of footsteps continued towards her and she looked up to see Lucas approaching. _This day really can't get any worse _she thought.

"Can we please talk?" his voice asked hesitantly.

"Luke I'm really not in the mood for another argument" she told him.

"Good" he said, "because I haven't come here to argue. In fact you don't need to say anything. Just hear me out."

"Fine" she replied too tired to argue "but I really don't think it's going to help."

Lucas came and sat at the counter and proceeded to tell her all about how his relationship with Peyton had began.

"Lucas I really don't want to hear this right now. All I want to know is why you lied to me for so long."

So Luke explained his side of things how originally he hadn't really expected it to last so had seen no reason to upset Haley by telling her. Then by the time he had realised that his feelings for Peyton were genuine he couldn't find a way to tell her.

"You were always talking about how much you hated that whole group" he said "and I didn't want to upset you by telling you that I genuinely liked one of them."

As Haley opened her mouth to refute his explanation she was struck by the thought that what he was describing was exactly how she had felt about telling him about her budding relationship with Nathan. She had tried to hide it from him just as he had kept his relationship with Peyton hidden from her. She doubted that she would have allowed things to go on for two months without telling him but she had no way of knowing for sure. _How can I hate him when he was only trying to protect me the same way I was trying to protect him? _And she realised how hypocritical she had been toward him. She was still hurt by his actions but at least now she could understand why he had felt the need to keep it from her. She allowed a small smile to come to her lips as she turned to him.

"I'm so sorry" she apologised "I've been a hypocrite."

"So am I forgiven?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes" she said "but don't ever do that to me again." She told him.

**A.N Well I know this was a really long chapter by my standards but as you've now read there was a lot that I wanted to happen. The next chapter will probably be the last so if you want to know how it finishes up please review. I've been thrilled by the reviews I've received so far so a big thank you to everyone who has let me know what they think. Keep them coming.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

As soon as he awoke the next morning Nathan grabbed for his phone checking for any missed calls, hoping that by some miracle Haley had tried to call him. But there had been no calls. Not even Tim had called him despite the dozen or so voice mails he had left the night before. Punching a number angrily into the phone he waited impatiently for an answer. Finally someone at the other end picked up and a groggy voice mumbled

"Hello."

"Tim" Nathan snapped "I need your help so get your ass out of bed and meet me at school in twenty minutes."

"You have got to be kidding me" Tim grumbled "Its like 7 o'clock in the morning. What's so urgent that it can't wait another hour?"

"Just be there," Nathan told him as he slammed the phone down. It was time to show Haley exactly how he earned his reputation as King of Tree Hill High.

Roughly forty minutes later at the James residence Haley was for the first time since she could remember contemplating the idea of faking an illness to avoid school. She just couldn't face the thought of seeing Nathan and Tim and being reminded of what a fool she had been. Looking at her bedside clock she saw that she only had about half an hour until Lucas would be arriving to pick her up. She heard the sound of her cell phone ringing and reached over to pick it up checking the caller ID as she did. Seeing Nathan's name appear she dropped the phone as if it had bitten her and buried her head under the covers of her bed. _That was it there was no way she was going to school today_. Ten minutes later her phone began to ring again, groaning she grabbed it and saw that it was an unknown number. For a moment she allowed it to just ring unsure whether she should answer or not. _Stop being such a baby Haley _she reprimanded herself _if it is Nathan you can just hang up on him. _Lifting the phone to her ear she uttered a small

"Hello".

"Haley?" a feminine voice asked, "Is that you?"

"Yeah this is Haley" wondering who on earth she was speaking to, she knew the voice sounded familiar but couldn't quite place it.

"It's me Susie. I was just wondering if you're free to tutor me this afternoon?"

"Umm sorry Susie but I'm actually not feeling that great so I don't think I'll be coming to school today."

"Oh no" Susie groaned, "Remember that maths quiz you were going to help me revise for?"

Haley madly started wracking her brain she couldn't remember anything about a maths quiz.

"You know the one I told you about the day you left early because you had a headache?"

Haley looked puzzled for a moment she hadn't left tutoring early with a headache lately. Then she remembered the day Nathan had come to find her in the tutoring centre and the way he had touched her. _Fuck she probably did tell me about the maths quiz then but I was so distracted after what happened with me and Nathan that I didn't even hear her. _

"Haley I really need your help" Susie added in a pleading tone.

Haley immediately started to feel guilty it wasn't fair to Susie to make her pay for the personal dramas that she was going through. Sighing heavily she agreed to meet Susie in the tutoring centre straight after school.

"Oh Haley you're the best" Susie added effusively and with a promise not to be late she hung up the phone.

Haley reluctantly got out of bed and grabbing the first thing she laid her hands on in the wardrobe she went to get dressed.

Haley slid on her jeans and picked up the top that she had grabbed from the wardrobe. Looking at it for the first time she realised what it was and let it fall to the floor _There is no way I am wearing that _she thought staring sadly at the large sweat shirt on the floor. _In fact I should probably take it with me and give it back to him. I don't want it anymore._ But for some reason she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to the only thing she had of Nathan's. _Maybe I should keep it so I can burn it._ _Yeah that's what I'll do I'll keep it and burn it then maybe I'll be able to forget about everything that happened and just go back to the way things were before I got to know him._ Hearing the doorbell chime she hurried back into her room pulling one of her own sweatshirts from the cupboard. Slipping it on she looked longingly at her bed once more before going downstairs to let Lucas in.

Despite Lucas' best efforts that day Haley was miserable. He had done everything he could think of to cheer her up but nothing had seemed to work. As the day wore on he grew increasingly frustrated with her and leaving her to mope in the library went to find Peyton. He needed to vent and he figured she was the perfect person to listen.

Haley walked among the shelves taking very little interest in any of the books but pretending to look at them anyway. She had no idea where Lucas had disappeared to and at the moment she really didn't care. He had been getting on her nerves all day with his inability to accept that she was upset and a few corny jokes and a bunch of flowers was not what she needed in order to feel better. Her thoughts had been consumed with Nathan all day and although she had tried to pretend to herself that she was over him she couldn't help but look for him everywhere she went. But sightings of him had been very few and far between. She had caught a glimpse of his back as he walked down the hall that morning and had thought she had seen his dark head in amongst a group by Tim's locker just before lunch but that had been all. To be honest though she wasn't even sure what she would do if she did see him slap him across the face or kiss him senseless. Both courses of action had their appeal at the moment. She remained lost in her thoughts even as a figure approached her from behind

"Are you ready to talk to me yet?" a voice asked.

For a moment it seemed that her heart had stopped beating as she heard that oh so familiar voice. Regaining her composure she stayed facing away from him not daring to look at him in case her body had unbeknownst to her decided on the latter course of action even though her head still told her that she should slap him.

"I told you I never wanted to see you again and I meant it." She told him silently celebrating the fact that her voice had come out as firm as she had intended it to.

His face was grim as he heard the coldness in her tone. But he wasn't ready to give up on her yet. His hand came out grasping her wrist forcing her to turn around to face him. She still would not look at him though keeping her face averted staring at a point over his shoulder. He grabbed her chin roughly bringing her eyes to meet his feeling his anger start to build as he saw the emptiness in her eyes.

"Nathan I have nothing to say to you and no interest in hearing anything you have to say. Just leave me alone."

"Fine" he growled, "then we won't talk. There are other ways to communicate." He added cryptically before he bent his head covering her mouth with his kissing her harshly.

He still held her chin preventing her from turning her head away as she struggled against him his other arm coming around her to hold her to him. She stubbornly kept her lips closed denying him the access he craved and he drew back slightly wondering how he could get her to respond to him. She opened her mouth to yell at him and seeing his opportunity he swooped in again, his tongue urgently entering her mouth. She felt her will to fight slipping away under his onslaught and hesitantly began to move her tongue against his. His triumphant groan at her actions though served to bring her back to reality and using all her strength she wrenched away from him.

Angry tears filled her eyes as she looked at him. "Are you happy now? Have you proved your point? Yes you can still get a physical response from me but that was all it was." She told him.

She was furious but she didn't know who she was angrier with him for kissing her or herself for responding to his tactics. "If you ever do that again I'll report you for assault" she snarled.

"Haley I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand the way you were looking at me" he tried to justify his actions but to no avail.

"You know Nathan" she continued her anger abating to be replaced by sadness "for a while there I thought we might actually have something between us. But I can see now that I was just another conquest to you. I was just another notch to add to your belt. I don't know why you can't just leave me alone. I know about the challenge and it destroyed anything we might have had. So why can't you just let it go."

Nathan could only stare at her as he realised that she truly meant what she was saying. It was over. Suddenly Haley's head snapped back up and she looked at him once again.

"Oh my god I just worked out why you can't let this go. Its because we never had sex isn't it? You're worried about your reputation if it ever gets out that you didn't nail me. You're worried about what all your groupies would think of you."

Nathan's look changed to one of disbelief "You really think that little of me?" he asked. "Well I guess you really don't know me at all" he finished sadly and he walked away without looking back leaving Haley to ponder his words and the possibility that maybe just maybe she had misjudged him.

As Nathan left the library Tim stepped in front of him. "So how did it go?" he asked.

"It didn't" came Nathan's response.

"So I guess it's on to Plan B." Tim replied.

"I don't know man I'm not sure if she will ever forgive me."

**A.N Ok as you may have guessed there has been a slight change of plans with this story. As I was writing this chapter a new idea came to me, which I decided to use in this chapter so my plans for the ending will have to wait until the next chapter. Work has been getting a bit crazy at the moment but I am hoping to get some time off tomorrow so with a bit of luck I should be able to update then. As usual a big thank you to those who have reviewed. Ange x.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**A.N Just a small warning to any Lucas fans who might be reading. This is not a nice Lucas in this chapter. I was inspired to change things around a bit by a review I received from LiasonFan2. I'm aware that this probably wasn't what you meant but it gave me the idea for part of this chapter. Anyway have a read and tell me what you all think. Here it is the Grand Finale.**

**Disclaimer. Aerosmith owns the song used in this chapter. I have no rights to it but was watching VH1 the other day and it came on and it just seemed to fit this story.**

**Chapter Fifteen**

After her encounter in the library with Nathan, Haley was confused. She couldn't understand why he had seemed so upset when she had accused him of only wanting to be with her again so he could sleep with her and save his reputation. She had after all only been stating the truth. He didn't care about her and he had only taken an interest in her because of some stupid game. But as much as she tried to tell herself that this was the case she couldn't quite reconcile that behaviour with the Nathan that had taken care of her the other night when she had been so upset over Lucas. It was all just too bewildering. There were too many facets of Nathan's personality that didn't seem to fit together. He could be sweet and kind, arrogant and egotistical and more passionate than anyone else she'd ever know but which one was the real Nathan? Shaking her head she came out of her reverie she didn't want to spend the rest of her life trying to figure out how Nathan Scott's mind worked. _Besides it doesn't matter _she told herself _because things are over with Nathan and me and that's how they're going to stay._ The confidence she should have felt after such a strong statement though was nowhere to be found and instead she felt like she wanted to cry.

The rest of the day passed agonisingly slowly for Haley. She couldn't concentrate on any of her classes and she could feel dread mounting within her as the clock counted down the minutes to English class. To think that English was once one of her favourite subjects and now she looked forward to it the way one might anticipate a date with the executioner. Lucas sitting beside her in Chemistry had finally had enough.

"That's it Hales you have got to snap out of this," he hissed. "You're driving me insane. Every time I try to speak to you I find you staring off into space and looking as if you've just been told that the love of your life has only got an hour to live. What the fuck is wrong with you? Surely you cannot be this upset over what I told you about Nathan? You barely knew him."

Haley stared at Lucas as if seeing him for the first time. "What right have you got to tell me how I should be feeling?" she demanded

"I've listened to all this shit from you about Peyton and how your feelings are supposedly genuine and yet you were too ashamed of your relationship with her to tell even me, your best friend. What the fuck do you know about anything Luke? If things are so great with you and Peyton then why don't you just fuck off and be with her because I really don't care anymore." She finished in a harsh whisper and was surprised to discover that it was the truth.

She was sick of Lucas and all his shit and right now she didn't need it or him. He had supposedly told her about Nathan for her own benefit but she couldn't help but wonder if he would have been so keen to tell her about it if it had been some other guy she had been seeing and not his much despised half brother. Lucas glared at her in disbelief he couldn't believe that she was actually questioning his motives. It didn't matter that she was in fact right in her assumption. What had happened to the timid little bookworm that he had known for so long? Moving in her seat she raised her hand to signal Mr Diego's attention.

"Excuse me Sir I'm not feeling well can I please be excused."

Mr Diego looked up and seeing that it was Haley immediately signed the pass not considering for a moment that she may not be telling the truth. This was Haley James after all one of his best students. Haley gathered her books and turned to Lucas one last time before leaving the room.

"She's probably just using you for sex anyway." She told him maliciously and walked away without a backward glance.

Entering the bathroom she stared at herself in the mirror disbelief clouding her features. She couldn't believe that she had finally seen Lucas for what he was and although she knew she should be saddened about the inevitable end of their friendship she couldn't help but feel a certain degree of relief and freedom. She could finally stop questioning everything she did and worrying about how it would affect him. He obviously hadn't given much thought to the affect his actions would have on her so why should she constantly worry about him. Deep down she knew that she had had doubts about their friendship for some time but had always played them down and told herself that their friendship was something special. But after spending time with Nathan she knew that she could get by just fine without Lucas and she was a lot stronger than she had ever given herself credit for. Sure she didn't have Nathan anymore but he had shown her that there were plenty of other people who could bring joy to her life other than Lucas. Thinking about Nathan though had brought all her feelings of betrayal to the surface and she realised that she missed him more than she wanted to admit. _Things can only get better _she told herself as the bell went signalling the end of Chemistry. Hearing the sounds of students pouring out into the hall she left the bathroom heading to English wondering what else this day could possibly have in store for her.

Arriving at class before any of her peers she slid into a desk mentally steeling herself for another confrontation with Nathan. She wasn't sure what he would try this time but was determined to be prepared for it. As the rest of the class filed in she stared straight ahead planning to ignore any advances he made. But when he finally did enter the room he barely even glanced in her direction before heading to the back of the room to sit. Haley was shocked but tried to tell herself that she was glad that he seemed to have gotten the message that things were over between them.

It had taken all of Nathan's willpower not to stop in front of Haley's desk and beg her for another chance but after what had happened in the library he didn't think there would be much point. He had never been good at expressing himself in words and couldn't take the chance that he might make things worse. He had a plan and he could only pray that it would work. Unbeknownst to Haley though he sat watching her throughout the class hoping that her feelings for him were as strong as his feelings were for her. If they were there was still a chance that they could salvage things and he had to hold firm to that hope because without that he didn't have much left.

When the bell went ending the class and school for the day he once again walked past her without looking at her. She sat staring after him stunned feeling wounded that he seemed to have so quickly forgotten about her. She knew that she was being contradictory telling him to leave her alone and then feeling disappointment when he did but deep down she had held out some hope that he would fight for her. Maybe even tell her that he loved her but that now seemed to be just a fantasy. It seemed he didn't want anything from her beyond the physical. The emotional connection that she had felt between them was obviously all in her imagination. Sighing forlornly she picked up her books and headed to the tutoring centre to meet Susie.

Susie arrived moments after she did carrying a small transistor radio.

"I hope you don't mind" she told Haley "but I find it much easier to study with music playing."

"That's fine" Haley responded listlessly really not caring one way or the other.

Susie sat down watching the door apparently seeing someone she knew she sent them a conspiring grin and turned on the radio. The sound of Tree Hill High's radio station filled the room and Haley looked up in surprise as Mouth's voice came over the airwaves.

"Hey everybody we've got a special treat for you today. I've got Nathan Scott here with me and he has something he wants to say."

Sure enough Nathan's voice was the next sound Haley heard. "Haley I know you're listening and there's something you need to hear. I know I've screwed things up but I want you to know how I feel and I've never been good with words so hopefully this will help you understand how I feel about you."

Haley stared at the radio dumbfounded as the sounds of Aerosmith filled the room.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_Well, every moment spent with you_

_Is a moment I treasure_

_I don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep_

'_Cause I'd miss you baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

'_Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_Lying close to you_

_Feeling your heart beating_

_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming_

_Wondering if its me you're seeing_

_Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together_

_And I just wanna stay with you_

_In this moment forever, forever and ever_

_I don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep_

'_Cause I'd miss you baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

'_Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_I don't wanna miss one smile_

_I don't wanna miss one kiss_

_Well, I just wanna be with you_

_Right here with you, just like this_

_I just wanna hold you close_

_Feel your heart so close to mine_

_And just stay here in this moment_

_For all the rest of time_

_Don't wanna close my eyes_

_Don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_'Cause I'd still miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_I don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep_

_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_'Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you, baby_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_Don't wanna close my eyes_

_Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah_

_and I don't wanna miss a thing  
_

As the last strains of music faded away Haley sat paralysed in her chair. _This has to be a dream. There is no way that this could be real. Great Haley you've slipped over the edge and gone into your own delusional fantasy world. _

Susie's voice cut into her thoughts "Haley why are you just sitting there? Go find him."

Haley stared at her for a moment. _It was real. Nathan had really been on the radio declaring his feelings for her_. Haley jumped out of her chair a huge grin covering her face.

"Susie I've got to go. I'm really sorry about your math quiz but I can't stay."

"Haley for goodness sake there is no quiz. Just go." She urged practically pushing her out the door.

Haley didn't need to be told again and she ran from the room headed for the radio studio. Susie shook her head as she watched her leave then quickly grabbed her books. "Well I've done my part it must be time for me to collect my reward," she said to the empty room. "Yeah its time to get me some of that Tim Magic."

Haley flew down the hall nearly bowling over a janitor in her haste. As she rounded the corner she saw the door to the studio open and Nathan step out turning to look hopefully down the hall, his face breaking into a grin as he saw her barrelling towards him. Upon seeing him she increased her speed running full pelt into his open arms and knocking him to the ground in the process. She crashed down on top of him smiling madly.

"Did you mean it?" she asked him breathlessly "do you really feel that way about me?"

"Yes Haley I meant every word and as for how I feel about you" he took a deep breath and looked at her seriously "I love you". He told her amazed at how easily the words had come out of his mouth.

He had never imagined himself saying those words to anyone but he knew now that that was how he felt. He looked at her anxiously fearful of her reaction but was reassured by the elation he saw in her eyes.

"I think its time we went back to the beach house and I show you exactly how much I love you," she told him.

He couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips at her words "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked.

She smiled at him mysteriously "Guess you'll have to find out when we get there." He tightened his hold on her body covering her lips with his own in a passionate kiss.

Mr Andrews who had been listening to the radio broadcast in his office stepped out from across the hall shaking his head at the sight of the pair sprawled on the ground totally lost in each other. "How The Mighty Have Fallen." He said to himself.

**A.N Well everyone that's it. I hope you have all enjoyed it. I've had a blast writing it. I've got a few ideas for a new story so if you want to hear more from me let me know.**


	16. Chapter Sixteen Epilogue

**A.N Ok I had not had any intention of adding anything more to this story but after so many requests I decided to give you one final chapter. But I can assure you that this is it. There will be no more after this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it and thankyou so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. It was my first attempt at writing and judging by the reviews I recieved it was a success. Would love to hear from anyone who has any comments either on this chapter or the whole story so please review.**

**Epilogue **

"After that day we didn't care who knew about us.

Half the school did anyway because they'd been listening to the radio.

I didn't find out till later but Tim had recorded every word I said and the song just in case Haley wasn't listening or wouldn't give me another chance.

Apparently he was planning to play it over the loudspeaker system at school and leave copies of it on her answering machine every day until she either killed us both or gave our relationship another chance."

"And for some reason he's surprised that he doesn't have a girlfriend." She added mischievously.

"So then what happened with you two?"

She picked up the story where he had left off.

"We continued on with high school except now we were together and so many things changed.

It was like a whole new life for me.

Before we got together I was always convinced that as long as I had a friend like Lucas then that was all I needed.

But when Nathan and I got together I realised just how much I'd been missing out on.

I became friends with Brooke and for the first time in my life I actually had another girl to hang out with.

But I didn't want to totally change into someone new.

I kept tutoring in my spare time and continued working at Karen's although it was a little uncomfortable at first but after a while it got better.

Unfortunately I had a bit more trouble trying to keep my grades up because I was having to deal with a lot more distraction then I had to in the past."

"Hey why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked plaintively.

"What makes you think it was my fault?"

"Gee I can't imagine why anyone would possibly blame you for distracting me," she joked.

"Well I guess when you put it that way. I can understand how I could have been a distraction for you.

I mean having some gorgeous guy like me hanging around it must have made it pretty hard to concentrate on anything else."

"As you can see I could never completely rid him of his ego."

"Anyway" he said purposefully returning to their story "after that we graduated and both went to college in Chicago.

I joined their basketball team, which eventually led to me getting recruited by the Knicks.

The rest you pretty much know.

We got married when we were both 24 and soon after we had you guys."

Looking down at the child in her lap Haley laughed "Nathan honey I think we're probably going to have to tell them this story again."

"Why?" he asked before looking down at his own lap where his daughter was snuggled against him.

"They fell asleep!" he said incredulously.

"Here we are telling them the story that they've been bugging us about for ages and what happens they fall asleep and don't even hear it."

He was doing his best to sound angry but Haley could hear the underlying mirth in his voice.

"Guess we better get them up to bed." He said gently scooping his daughter into his arms and heading towards the stairs.

Haley picked up her daughter's twin brother from her own lap and followed him. Placing them into their beds they stood back watching their exhausted seven year olds sleep.

Nathan slid his arms around her waist pulling her back against his body. "So kids are in bed. What say we do the same?"

"But Nathan I'm not tired." She said playfully.

"You will be when I'm finished with you." He promised with a smirk.

"Ooh that sounds like an interesting proposition. Let me just check on Josh and I'll be right with you."

Walking into the next room she stood over the bed of their 18-month-old son and felt a wave of absolute contentment wash over her. There was no doubt in her mind that she had the perfect life and there wasn't a thing that she would change given the chance. Nathan's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Hales what are you doing in there? Come on I thought tonight might be a good time to get started on Scott baby number Four."

A small smile crossed her lips at his words and she turned and walked quickly to their bedroom where Nathan was waiting for her.


End file.
